How to Play Nice
by WeasleyForMe
Summary: Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione.  Can he learn how to play nice with her?  Bill/Hermione
1. Chapter 1

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione  
><em>

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><p>"Weasley, meeting in my office at two o'clock," barked Ned Barbary.<p>

Bill nodded his head toward the door to let his boss know he had heard him. As the top ranked curse breaker in the Gringotts arsenal, Bill had become rather used to these impromptu meetings with the department head. He had a great reputation and loved working hard every day. But now, nearly five years after the demise of Voldemort, he was starting to see his workload dwindle.

The bank was no longer receiving daily job requests for a high level curse breaker to tend to valuable objects containing dark spells. In fact, the last high profile job he had worked on was releasing a curse at the Riddle estate, and that had been over a year ago. Right now, his desk was completely clear of work, and he hadn't been given a new assignment in a week. Surely that must be what the meeting with his boss would entail.

"I hope they send me someplace sunny," he muttered, pushing a loose strand of his ginger hair roughly behind his ear. He made his way to Ned's office and was startled to find every other curse breaker employed by Gringotts had already been crammed into the office.

Before Bill could protest, Ned raised his hand, silencing the group. "Now before we begin, I must admit this is not the direction in which I imagined this department would be heading, but this is where we find ourselves. I have an envelope for each of you containing your next work assignment."

Bill's imagination took over as he hoped for something in, say, Aruba or perhaps Barbados. White sand beaches, girls in bathing suits, delicious foods….

"You'll probably be quite surprised by your assignments, but as we've all been seeing recently, the need for curse breakers has started to lessen. I'm just happy that I am going to be able to keep all of you on staff," Ned added with a sigh of exhaustion. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me any time this week. Just don't expect me to be able to change your assignments. I barely got enough for each of you to work on as is."

Suddenly Bill didn't think he would end up on a beach any time soon. He started to get nervous; he hated being nervous. It wasn't something he often felt.

Ned started to call out names and envelopes were passed around the small room. One by one, his coworkers opened them, and with looks ranging from annoyance to disgust, they filed out of the office. Bill took his envelope last and quickly tore into it. He skimmed halfway down the page before pausing to read.

_Bill Weasley, senior curse breaker, temporary reassignment:_

_At the request of the Muggle Security Department at the Ministry of Magic, a senior level curse breaker (Mr. William Weasley) will be assigned to work as the assistant to the Muggle and Magical Alliance Officer (Ms. Hermione Granger) on several projects. Please report to the Ministry of Magic for all assignments until further notice. _

"What the devil is this?" he asked once he had read the note through three times.

Ned Barbary glanced up from his desk, surprised to find one of his employees had lingered after being dismissed.

"Why?" Bill demanded. "Why am I being sent to work under the Ministry? This makes no sense."

Ned took pity on his best worker and calmly explained the facts. "You are well aware, I'm sure, that the Ministry has been keeping a close eye on Gringotts since the end of the war. They don't trust the Goblins, so they don't trust any of us. Now, I had to agree to send a senior level curse breaker to help them with their projects. I put you on the assignment, because believe it or not, this is one of the best jobs that I just handed out."

"But it's a complete waste of my time. I could be doing so much more," Bill stated bluntly. "What are they going to have me working on? Removing singing toilets from the Muggle Underground stations? Sticking corks in talking wine bottles? Or something even more pointless than that?"

"Look, I'm hoping this will only be temporary. And on the bright side, at least you're paired up with a dame, right?"

"Hermione Granger? Yeah, right," Bill laughed sarcastically, his expression darkening even further. He turned and walked out of the office, accepting his crummy fate. He would be working as Hermione Granger's bloody lap dog. Her errand boy.

He snarled. This was the same Hermione Granger his baby brother had been in love with for some twelve years. The bushy haired know-it-all who would never rest until everyone in the United Kingdom accepted that she was always right. The buck-toothed child who would surely be making it her goal to drive him to drink!

After storming down the hallway, Bill dropped into his desk chair, glaring at the photo of himself and several coworkers he had pinned on the wall. What he wouldn't give to be able to go back to Egypt, Japan or Tasmania again. He watched the people in the photo lined up outside of the great Pyramid, holding up the artifacts they had retrieved.

He'd be lucky if he ever got another assignment outside of London. Quickly, he packed his bag and went home. Tomorrow he would report to the Ministry and his new supervisor.

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><p>Hermione was completely swamped at work. She could barely keep up with the residual issues that seemed to pop up each day concerning Muggle wellbeing in London and the surrounding countryside.<p>

At least her curse breaker would arrive today. She was hoping they would send someone quiet and agreeable. That way she could keep on track with her work rather than have to cater to a nosy novice or a loudmouthed fool.

"Hermione, please sign these pages to release the story about the exploding fire hydrants to the Muggle news stations," said Dennis Creevey, her assistant for the last six months. She scribbled her name on the parchment, and Dennis vanished from sight. He was the perfect assistant, one who never stuck around long enough to annoy her.

Several minutes later, he poked his head through her door. "Your curse breaker has arrived."

"Send them in, Dennis," she replied, her eyes never leaving her notepad as she wrote down her agenda for the remainder of the week.

Hermione heard someone enter her office, and she tried to finish jotting down her plans for Friday afternoon before pausing to greet them. But, after a moment a familiar, rich baritone voice announced the impatient presence of the Gringotts curse breaker she had been assigned.

"Oh yes, it's lovely to see you too, Miss Granger. I'm sure we'll work together _splendidly_."

Her eyes shot up to find Bill Weasley sneering down at her with his well muscled arms crossed over his broad chest and an unhappy glint in his eye.

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><p><em>I just felt the need for a chaptered BillHermione story! Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review!_


	2. Chapter 2

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

_Thanks to Clover Bay for helping out with this chapter!_

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><p>Of all the curse breakers available, Hermione had been given a very cranky Bill Weasley. So much for a peaceful work environment.<p>

She immediately bristled in response to Bill's sarcastic tone and the look on his face. Why were his arms crossed defiantly across his chest? Perhaps a better question was, when had his arms begun to look so fit? Bill filled out his plaid shirt and jeans extremely well, and his scars made him look rugged, not that Hermione noticed.

She wrenched her gaze up to his face and met his sneer with one of her own. "Bill Weasley, it has been awhile. How's your family? And Fleur?"

Bill snorted and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You talk to Ginny and Ron enough to know everyone is doing fine. And I'm sure you'll recall that Fleur and I split up last year." He looked at the woman before him in her proper suit and sleek bun; she was nothing like Fleur had been. Fleur was tall, blonde and cold. Hermione was short, brunette and usually looked a lot more inviting then she did right now.

Hermione had honestly forgotten about their break-up and was about to apologize when Bill added, "You have some work for me, I take it? Why don't you just tell me what it is I have to do and boss me around until it's done?"

Still unable to pinpoint exactly why he was acting so miserable, she gestured for him to have a seat. "Yes, I have several assignments I need to complete with the help of a senior level curse breaker."

Bill dropped into the plush chair and leaned toward Hermione's desk. "Right, I'm sure you need a highly trained professional to guide you through the process of how to remove dark spells placed on Muggle toaster ovens. I can already tell these assignments are going to be mundane at best," he informed her, enthralled by the way her cheeks turned a shade of raspberry and her lips puckered into a perfect pout.

"These assignments are of the utmost importance to the alliance between Muggle and magic! We cannot allow them to be taken advantage of! I can assure you there are more dangerous things to contend with than toaster ovens," she raged back at him. Her fists were clenched tightly atop the blotter on her desk, and Bill immediately thought she looked magnificent. Fleur never showed such emotion!

"And, furthermore, I happen to take my job very seriously, Bill!" she nearly hissed at him.

"As do I!" he added, her anger clearly fueling him as well. "Which is why I'm not exactly enthusiastic about working under a Ministry head." He refrained from calling her a puppet, afraid he would compel her anger further; that could only result in Bill being punched in the face, or worse, he might give in to the desire he suddenly felt to kiss her.

What was wrong with him? Hermione Granger was not the type of woman he wanted to think about in that way. Although her hair was much improved since she was in school, and she did look slightly tempting at the moment.

She cleared her throat and immediately embodied cool collection. "Tomorrow we will meet here, have some tea and then travel to Crawley. If you don't show up, I will assume you've found an assignment which better suits your idea of adventure," she said coolly. "But I know how the Ministry has been focusing on the efficiency of Gringotts, and I find it hard to believe that you would be assigned to work with me unless it was in the best interest of your department." She eyed him across her desk, fully aware she would not be in for the easy working experience she had hoped for.

Bill eased back in his chair, noting that the pink colour was receding from Hermione's cheeks. Although she still didn't look exactly happy, the magnificent rage had all but vanished, leaving a polished Ministry employee on the opposite side of the desk. And, she knew what she was talking about; it was the lack of work at Gringotts that brought him, their top curse breaker, to her.

"Why are we travelling to Crawley?" he asked, trying to be more agreeable.

Before Hermione could respond, Dennis knocked on the door and entered. "Hermione, the Minister is ready to meet with you in Chamber Six," he informed her and then vanished without another word.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cut this short," Hermione told Bill as she stood. "Kingsley gets cranky when I keep him waiting," she said, referring to the Minster of Magic. She earned a small smile from Bill, the first one of their entire meeting.

"I can only imagine," he replied, standing as well. "I'll be here in the morning, and you can tell me all about Crawley then."

"Yes, see you in the morning," she agreed and led the way out of her office. "Wear something comfortable," she added as she turned down the hallway just past Dennis' desk. But Bill had already started down the corridor in the opposite direction, barely listening to her words.

"Should be a fun month or two," she muttered darkly as she headed toward Chamber Six, not looking forward to seeing Bill the following morning.

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><p>Before seven in the morning, just as the sun was rising over the London skyline, Bill walked through the visitors' entrance of the Ministry, ready to start his first assignment. It was intention to arrive well before most of the other employees, including his new supervisor, and prove that he was much more capable than she. Never mind that it took him three cups of coffee before he was functioning enough to shower. He yawned and ran his rough hands over his scarred face as he entered Hermione's outer office and walked past Creevey's still vacant desk.<p>

He came to an abrupt stop in the doorway to Hermione's small office. There she was wearing old, torn jeans and a blue tee shirt that stopped just at the top of her belt. There was music coming from the wireless in the corner shelf, and she was singing along, quite badly, to 'Chase My Snitch' by the Weird Sisters. She sat down at her desk and started drumming on the stack of parchments in front of her with her wand and a quill. A half empty pot of coffee sat on the edge of her desk.

Not only had she clearly been here for a few hours, most likely working hard, but she also looked fantastically sexy. Bill watched her pull her curls into a low ponytail, and decided this might not be so bad.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Please review!<br>_


	3. Chapter 3

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

_Thanks to Clover Bay for helping out with this chapter, again!_

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><p>Bill cleared his throat loudly, trying to gain Hermione's attention over the rock music. Startled, she glanced up and immediately dropped the wand and quill, both of which rolled onto the floor in front of her desk. "Bill, you're really early!" she squealed, jumping up to turn the song off.<p>

Bill bent to pick up her lost items and froze as Hermione reached up toward the wireless; the creamy flesh of her lower back was exposed as she raised her arm, causing him to swallow guiltily. He just couldn't convince himself to stop looking at her like he would other attractive women, and it was going to get him into trouble. The last thing he needed or wanted was an attachment to another female.

Once the music had been silenced, Hermione spun around and smiled apologetically. "Some mornings I like to come in early and work with the wireless on. It helps me concentrate."

As he set her quill down and handed the wand to her, he nodded. "It also looks like you could tour with the Weird Sisters. Actually, I think I heard that the Shaggy Hags are looking for a new drummer," he said sarcastically.

Hermione glared at him. "Oh right, like you don't sing and act like a rock star when you're alone or taking a shower." Her eyes grew wide as she realized she was picturing him under a spray of steamy hot water singing into a pretend microphone.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked with a wink, and her cheeks turned pink from embarrassment rather than anger. He couldn't decide which version he liked better.

"Anyway," she mumbled, shuffling papers around on her desk, trying to change the subject. "We need to go to Crawley today, and I've also written up a schedule for the next week or so." She thrust a piece of parchment at him and they both sat. Dennis arrived and greeted them, and Hermione sent him for a tea tray.

Bill skimmed the list of locations they would be visiting to take care of Muggle related issues. "There are quite a few jobs listed here," he noted out loud.

"Yes, and I get more each day. Dennis has his hands full writing up press notices for the Muggle Prime Minister to release to control hysteria. You would have thought that after the war, hatred against others would have ended," she said quietly, aware that because of her upbringing, her very own parents were unable to preotect themselves the way she could. "But apparently there are still small groups of dark followers who think it's amusing to hide in the Muggle world and cause havoc."

Bill absorbed her words. "So what exactly are we going to be doing today?"

Hermione sighed as Dennis returned with tea and cookies. "We will be trying to put an end to a series of exploding post boxes," she told Bill. "Thank you, Dennis. Why don't you sit and have a cup with us?"

"I have far too much to get done today," he replied with a half smile, snatching a few cookies and heading back to his desk.

"Wait, exploding post boxes?" Bill asked. Was she serious? This sounded worse than the worst case scenario he had come up with. "We're travelling all the way out to Crawley for a bloody issue with Muggle mail?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and poured herself a cup of strong tea. "We are talking about a matter of safety! They think the post boxes have bombs attached to them, but I believe someone has charmed them with a time release spell. Five Muggles are currently hospitalized as a result of these antics, and I refuse to be responsible for a death because I didn't respond quickly enough."

Bill sat very still, not wanting to argue with her before they had even reached their destination. "And what exactly am I supposed to help you with?"

"That's what I need you to figure out. Now are you ready?" she asked, excitement in her eyes. Bill downed his tea and tucked some cookies into his pocket.

"Ready," he confirmed, following Hermione toward the official Ministry of Magic Apparition point. She chattered about this and that while he grunted responses. He was too distracted by alternately admiring her swaying hips and chastising himself for looking at her at all.

"_She's a nuisance,_" he reminded himself, rolling his eyes as she informed him of his upcoming schedule. She would probably have him working weekends too, not that he would even be able to do anything about it.

Just as he felt his sour expression returning, they had reached the Apparition port, and Hermione grabbed his hand without warning. His breath hitched in his throat, and before he had a chance to question her, she had pulled him snugly against her

A look of completely undisguised shock came over his face as she held onto his biceps. "Why are you looking at me that way?" she asked. "You just grunted what I thought was an affirmative answer when I asked if I could Apparate both of us there."

Bill swallowed hard, her warm little hands making it hard for him to think. "Uh, yeah, that's fine."

Hermione shook her head at him, and they spun away from the Ministry. They arrived in an alley in Crawley, and she immediately released him. Although he was finally able to breathe again, he missed the feel of her fingers clutching his arms.

"Now, if we follow this map that I've made of the post boxes in the area, we should be able to find the ones that have already been cursed." She was already getting down to work, but Bill couldn't concentrate. What the hell was wrong with him?

Trying to gain the lay of the land, he asked, "What are we going to do to the ones that have been cursed?"

"That's for you to figure out," she told him with a coy smile.

"Ok, but what about the ones that haven't been touched by a dark spell?"

Hermione's smile brightened further. "I've come up with a Charm to secure the untouched post boxes that should keep them safe. I can't wait to try it out!"

Bill eyed her amusedly. "Ok, smarty pants, let's get started."

She rolled her eyes at him and led the way out of the alley toward the first post box. She waited until there were no Muggles in the immediate vicinity and discreetly cast a notice-me-not spell around them. They watched as men and women walked right past them but didn't seem to see them there. "I think we're all set then," Hermione said, pulling her wand fully out of her pocket and unloading a dark detector from her small purse.

She sat down on the sidewalk and leaned forward. Bill tapped his toe in annoyance as she gently set the detector on the underside of the post box and set it to run a series of diagnostic spells. "You don't have to do it that way, you know."

Hermione glared up at him from where she sat. "Oh, and I suppose you have a better way?"

"Of course I do. You might be the Gryffindor know-it-all, but this is actually what my career has been based on," he boasted with cocky smile.

Hermione was on her feet instantly. "Fine, if you're so smart then go right ahead. Just be aware that these could blow up at any second!" she hissed, prodding the side of the post box with her wand.

"Let the master do his job," Bill said, pulling out his own wand and stepping in front of Hermione. If he had to work with her on these humdrum assignments, at least he could enjoy showing her up.

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><p><em>Uh oh, Bill is getting a little cocky! Neither one of them has any patience for dealing with the other. The next chapter should be a fun one! <em>

_Please review! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

_Thanks to Clover Bay for helping out with this chapter, again! You rock!  
><em>

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><p>Hermione watched Bill like a hawk as he cast a series of spells. "I wouldn't have done it that way," she muttered, earning an annoyed look from him. She was standing back a few steps from the post box, tapping her toe and shaking her head at everything he did. Why was he so bloody difficult to work with?<p>

Within minutes, Bill managed to pinpoint the location of the spell, and with one last flick of his wand he turned toward Hermione with a grin. "The post boxes haven't been tampered with," he informed the witch next to him.

"That's nonsense," she immediately disagreed. "They have been blowing up in people's faces for the past week!"

Bill took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Why was she so bloody difficult to work with?

"It's not the post boxes that are the problem; it's the mail itself. Someone has been dropping hexed letters into the boxes, thus causing the explosions," he told her with certainty.

Hermione immediately started to pace up and down the sidewalk. She would momentarily pause to look at him, narrow her eyes in concentration and begin to pace again. "My Arithmancy might be off then," she muttered at one point as she strode past him. "Need to update my calculations..."

Bill decided not to interrupt; there was no way he could keep up with her when it came to Arithmancy. Instead he tried a few spells on the post box, hoping to help with the next stage of the problem: picking out the hexed mail and preventing anyone else from getting hurt. "Oh bugger," he muttered. His eyes went wide as the post box suddenly turned bright yellow and started to expand at a rapid rate.

"Hermione!" he called in warning, and she ceased her pacing. When she saw the state of the post box, she let out a squeal of protest and quickly looked around for any Muggles.

After casting a broader notice-me-not charm, she turned to Bill, "Now what the hell are we supposed to do?"

He shook his head and grabbed her arm, pulling her off of the sidewalk and into a patch of grass. "Do you think it's going to blow up?" he asked, just as a plume of smoke rose from the front opening. He deftly pulled her against his chest and dove into the grass as the post box exploded, sending flaming pieces of mail into the air around them.

The breath was knocked out of Hermione's lungs as she hit the ground, the noise from the explosion adding to her pounding heart rate.

Bill landed halfway on top of her, making it impossible for her to catch her breath. "Don't move," he murmured right next to her ear, and she felt an electric chill run through her body as his lips grazed her neck. She bit her lip to keep from audibly moaning, horrified by her reaction to him; he had been unpleasant at best over the last two days.

Meanwhile, Bill pushed himself up and shielded the flaming bits of parchment from landing on Hermione. Then he doused the flames coming from what was left of the post box.

"Are you all right?" he asked once the fire was put out. "Did you hit your head? You could have been killed!"

Hermione glared up at him. "My point exactly, Bill. These things are dangerous! I'm just glad it didn't hurt any Muggles." Then she took a moment to make sure she was able to stand before telling him, "I think I'm all right."

Bill helped her to her feet and inspected her for any injuries. "I'm sorry I landed on you. We should take you to get checked out."

She shook her head. "I swear, I'm fine," she promised, dusting off her jeans. She tried to take a step and had to hobble around a bit.

"But I weigh about fourteen stones, Hermione. What are you? About nine?" he asked, steadying her.

She glared at him and blushed profusely at the mention of her weight. "That's none of your business!"

Bill chuckled; he absolutely loved it when he made her blush. And, he wouldn't soon be forgetting how it felt to be sprawled across her. She was soft, warm and smelled like jasmine.

"Just tell me what you did that made the post box explode," she said, pleased that the notice-me-not charm had done its job; the street was empty.

"I didn't do anything!" he insisted. "It just blew up."

"I saw you casting a spell," Hermione said, taking a step closer to him.

"The spell was only to see if I could find the hexed piece of mail."

"But that must have triggered something."

"No, I don't think it did," he countered, clenching his fists.

"There's no other explanation," she hissed.

His anger was right at the surface, and he could tell she was on the verge of yelling.

"Look, there's no sense in arguing about this! At least I was able to pinpoint the problem! Let's just get a new game plan together," he said holding his hands up.

Hermione let out the breath she had been holding. "You're right. We should go back to my office and try to work it all out. And, uh, thanks for protecting me from the explosion," she added.

"You're welcome," he responded neutrally. They moved the remaining pieces of the mangled post box into a pile and Hermione vanished all of it.

Silently, she led the way back to the alley, and this time she reached for his biceps with no complaints from him. They Disapparated and ended up at the Ministry of Magic once again.

Once they reached her office, she slumped down into her chair and pulled out some parchment. "If the mail has been hexed instead of the post boxes, I'm afraid we will never be able to catch the culprit," she mused out loud.

"But, the traces of magic will be much more concentrated. What if we find one that hasn't been fed any hexed mail and wait until the arse who has been doing this happens to show up. Then we can hex his balls off, turn him over to the Ministry and be done with it."

Hermione chuckled. "You know, that's not a bad idea. Hey, Dennis, when you have a minute," she called out into her outer office.

Creevey was immediately at her doorway. "Yes, Hermione?"

"Can you clear my meetings for tomorrow afternoon? I think we will be out again all day working on some surveillance," she asked, and Bill had to smile at the fact that he'd come up with this idea.

"Bloody hell, what happened to the two of you?" Dennis gaped in response.

Hermione looked at Bill and realized that his tee shirt was covered in singe marks. She could only imagine what her hair must look like. "Uh, things didn't go so well in Crawley. Which reminds me, we need to fill out an Incident Report," she said. Dennis vanished again.

"Are you sure you don't need to see a Healer?" Bill asked once more.

"If this is any indication of what the upcoming weeks hold, I'm not so sure I want to keep working with you," she said with a laugh, trying to keep her frizzy hair under control.

Bill eyed her cautiously. If she didn't want to keep him here, who knew what type of assignment he would end up with?

A moment later, Dennis came back carrying a blank Incident Report form. Hermione quickly filled out the form and handed it back to him. "Please turn that in," she said, and he was gone again. At least working with Dennis was always a breeze.

"So how are we going to locate an untouched post box?" Bill asked.

Hermione pulled out her map and started to cross some of them off. "We're going to figure that out right now."

By the time most of the Ministry employees were leaving for the day, Bill and Hermione had finally had a breakthrough. Her Arithmantic equations made easy work of the process of elimination now that they knew the curse was coming from pieces of mail. "Tomorrow we'll go to Front Street and use the dark detector on the post boxes there to locate a clean one," said Hermione.

"No, we ought to just run through my diagnostic spells to locate one," Bill said, disagreeing with her plan. "This is what I'm good at, Hermione. Curse breaking."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We still can't confirm that your diagnostics weren't the reason for the explosion today!"

Bill gritted his teeth. "I recovered artifacts from the bloody Riddle Estate using these spells!"

The two of them were on their feet, nose to nose, fists clenched, never noticing the approach of the Minister of Magic.

"Hermione!" yelled Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Another explosion in Crawley? I thought you had this under control! I need an explanation for this Incident Report you filed. Now."

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><p><em>See how fast I updated? I think I deserve a review! :) I have some ideas floating around in my head, but if you think of something you'd like to see, let me know!<em>


	5. Chapter 5

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

_Thanks to Clover Bay for helping out with this chapter, again! You rock!_

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><p>Kingsley looked across the desk from Hermione to Bill and back again, and Hermione was unable to find the words necessary to explain herself. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint her boss who happened to be the Minister of Magic. A feeling of complete and utter dread begun to fill the pit of her stomach.<p>

"It was my fault," Bill told Kingsley. Hermione's eyes grew to the size of saucers at she looked at the man next to her.

"What?" Hermione hissed at him under her breath.

Bill shot her a sideways glance and continued. "I thought I had the situation under control. It won't happen again, you have my word."

Hermione's cheeks were burning, and she wanted to shout that it wasn't only Bill's fault, but the look on his face held her in check. He was just trying to be nice.

Kingsley, clearly exhausted, slid into one of the chairs across from Hermione's desk. Bill and Hermione took his lead and sat as well and let him speak. "I don't mean to sound harsh. The two of you were brilliant members of the Order and both very good friends of mine. But you need to figure out this situation immediately and fix it! I have the Muggle Prime Minster and every media outlet hounding me about this," Kingsley informed them, none too happy.

Hermione cleared her throat and spoke out loud for the first time. "We realize that, and we have spent the entire afternoon devising a plan. Tomorrow we will head back to Crawley and try to capture whomever is responsible."

Rubbing his eyes, Kingsley grunted in response. "Just do what needs to be done," he said wearily.

"We will," Bill and Hermione recited in unison.

Kingsley smiled at them for the first time. "Is Molly having everyone over for meatloaf next Friday?" he asked Bill.

"First Friday of every month, like clockwork," he confirmed with a smile. Hermione's stomach growled just thinking about Molly's food, and she realized it had been a few months since she'd had time to make an appearance at the Burrow for dinner.

"You know I'll be there!" Kingsley said happily. "Now, finish off this Crawley fiasco and send me a report when you're done." With a nod, he stood and left the office.

As soon as he was gone, Hermione turned to Bill in the chair next to her. "What was that all about? We aren't even certain if the explosion was your fault. What if word gets back to your boss at Gringotts that you messed up royally when you really didn't? What if-"

"Hermione, a simple 'thank you' will suffice," he told her with a wink.

She huffed and crossed her arms. "Thank you. But, you didn't have to do that."

Bill studied her pretty face for a moment. "Your job is very important to you, obviously. I did it because you deserve a break," he said, gesturing to the stacks of parchment lined up on her desk.

Hermione really didn't know what to say so she just smiled. "Ready for another day in Crawley?"

Bill sighed. "I just hope it goes better than today."

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><p>Friday morning started the same as Thursday. Bill arrived in time to see Hermione singing along to the wireless, and this time she continued to sing loudly and badly in spite of his presence. She finished the song, stood and bowed at his applause.<p>

"That was…lovely," he said while wincing.

"Thank you," she replied and threw a quill at him. "Let's get out of here while it's still early."

They made their way to the Apparation area, and this time Bill pulled Hermione against his muscular body. "What are you doing?" she asked, quite surprised.

"Getting ready to Apparate," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh," she managed, Apparating them to the same alleyway in Crawley. She pulled out of his grasp and started to walk out to the main street. "We need to set up surveillance at the post box on the edge of town. Then we wait to see who the culprit is, and turn them over to the Ministry," she informed him as they both marched down the street.

He had to admit, he liked her take charge attitude, but he wasn't so sure about her techniques.

"How are we going to hide ourselves?" he asked as they neared the location.

Hermione looked around. "Up there, in that shrubbery." Bill followed her up a small hill that would afford them the perfect view of the post box on the street corner.

"You want to hide in there, together?" he asked, motioning to the shrubbery before them.

"Yes, and the faster we get in there, the faster we can finish this," she said as she unrolled a flesh coloured string and tossed some binoculars to Bill. "And no magic whatsoever. It's too easy to trace, and they can't know we're here."

"What is that?" Bill asked as he took his spot behind the plant.

"Extendable Ears, courtesy of your charming twin brothers," Hermione told him, pulling the fleshy strand behind the bush. "Now we can see and hear everything happening on the street."

They waited for what seemed like an eternity. Bill was counting the random, harmless pedestrians crossing the intersection, and Hermione was going over the equations she had worked up to disarm the jinxed mail.

"How long do you think this will take?" Bill asked after a few hours.

"Not sure," Hermione replied, picking up the binoculars and having a better look.

"Well maybe we should be checking out a few different post boxes," Bill suggested, getting annoyed.

Hermione shook her head. "No, we have to wait for them to come to us."

"That's not the only way to do things!" he complained.

"Keep your voice down!" she hissed.

"You're not my boss!" Bill returned.

Hermione set down the ear and the binoculars and turned to face him. "Actually, right now I am! And, I can easily have you replaced with someone who wants to listen and do a good job! I'm sure any of the other curse breakers would jump at the chance to be outside on a real assignment, but no, somehow you're just too good for this!" she seethed at him.

Bill nodded his head slowly. "It's not you, you know that right? I just hate the idea of having no control over my own career," he informed her for the first time.

Hermione calmed down and whispered, "Yeah, I understand how you must feel, but if we mess this up, we'll both be making coffee runs for Kingsley until we retire."

With a laugh, Bill acknowledged that she was almost in the same position he was. She didn't have control any more than he did.

In an instant, Hermione had the binoculars held up to her eyes as a man in a cloak approached the post box. "Is it just me, or does that look like Walden Macnair?" she hissed, passing the binoculars to Bill and grabbing the Extendable Ear.

She waited to hear the spell that was performed once the culprit pulled out his wand. She turned to Bill, noting they both had their wands at the ready.

"That's impossible. He's in Azkaban!" Bill whispered, sharing a look of concern with Hermione.

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><p><em>Please review!<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>Acting fast, Hermione sent her Patronus directly to the Minister of Magic. "Cast a quick notice-me-not charm on the area and then follow me," she told Bill, pulling herself into a crouching position behind the shrubbery.<p>

For the first time in months, Bill felt the sensation of excitement for his work. It was like he was in a Muggle police show, complete with a bad guy and a sexy assistant. He couldn't help but smile as he cast the charm, on the surrounding area, immediately bringing the culprit to full alertness.

"He knows we're here," Bill murmured to Hermione.

"Wait until his back is turned," Hermione whispered, watching the man turn back and forth, looking for the source of the magic.

In a split second, Hermione and Bill both appeared on the hillside and shot simultaneous jinxes. He was first hit with Bill's bat-bogey hex followed by Hermione's expelliarmus. Hermione caught the wizard's wand as Bill tried to bind his arms.

"Ginny is a genius," Bill called to Hermione over the sound of the bat-bogeys attacking their victim. "This hex is horrible!" It took Bill a few moments to tie him up, but once he did he threw him on the ground and towered over him.

"I think it is Macnair," Bill said of the rather ugly man on the ground before him.

Hermione examined him as well, and the man snarled up at her. "It doesn't make any sense," she muttered.

With a pop from the sound of apparition, Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared with two officers from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He immediately assessed the situation. "Walden Macnair is in Azkaban. Who the bloody hell is this?"

"His brother, Willard," snarled their prisoner, his black eyes sparkling.

"Impossible," Hermione countered. "We have on record that every known Death Eater is either dead or in Azkaban."

"You stupid Mudblood," he spat. "Not every follower of the Dark Arts has taken the Dark Mark. We are everywhere."

With the speed of a snitch in flight, Bill reached down and threw his fist across Macnair's jowl. "That's disrespectful," Bill growled.

"Enough," Kingsley said with finality, taking Macnair's wand from Hermione.

Hermione gave Bill a small smile as the law officers bound their prisoner and recited his rights. "Willard Macnair, you will be charged for crimes and conspiracies against Muggles. You have the right to remain silent. You will forfeit your wand unless your innocence can be proven."

"Thanks," Hermione muttered to Bill once the prisoner had been apparated away. His heart swelled as a blush spread across her cheeks.

"I don't know why I bothered to doubt you, Hermione. You always do the best work," Kingsley said grasping her hand in his. "The two of you make a great team."

Bill and Hermione shared an amused look; that was a pretty large overstatement.

"Why don't you let me file the report? Take the rest of the day off," Kingsley suggested before apparating away with a smile on his face for the first time in weeks, firmly grasping the hexed letter.

Hermione turned to Bill and ran her fingers through her hair. "Whoa, did he just suggest we take the rest of the day for ourselves?"

Bill chuckled and responded, "Yeah, I think so, and it's barely even lunchtime."

She beamed back at him. "Nice job today, lunch is on me."

A little while later they were sitting at a small table in the Leaky Cauldron, enjoying a pint, lunch and each other's company. "How many others do you think there are? Practicing the Dark Arts?" she asked, taking a small bite of her sandwich. She watched Bill's reaction closely.

"You mean the ones that haven't been identified?" he asked, popping some chips into his mouth. "Hard to say. It seems a little cowardly on their part, never having taken a Dark Mark, but trying to continue the Dark Arts now that Voldemort is gone."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "But I don't think there has been any record of Willard Macnair since he was a student."

"Makes sense, if he doesn't have a criminal record," Bill agreed.

"Ugh, I'm sure the Minister will be increasing my weekly meetings to every other day se we can get to the bottom of this," she groaned.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that Kingsley makes you sit down with him every week for a meeting? How can you be expected to do that?" Bill asked pausing before taking a bite of fish.

"It's not just me! Sometimes he has your father come as well, and sometimes Remus is there amongst a large group of Ministry officers he rounds up," she informed him setting down the last bit of her sandwich. "Do you know how hard it is to have a serious conversation with Tonks, Remus, Mad-Eye and your father? I can remember all of them getting sloshed at the Order holiday party! And Kingsley was dancing on the tables at your wedding!" Hermione said with a laugh before choking on her own words. "Sorry," she muttered apologetically.

Bill's expression remained neutral at the candid reminder of Fleur. Truth be told, he felt little emotion for his ex-wife at this point. He ran his fingers along a set of scars on his neck and shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he replied with a smile. "It's not so bad now that I moved out of Shell Cottage, but it would have been a lot easier if there was another assignment for me in Egypt."

Hermione couldn't help but feel that she and Ron would have had the same outcome if they had continued on their path. "Yeah, well Ron basically joined the Tutshill Tornados just to get away from me after we broke up, so I understand."

She examined Bill as he finished his beer. To say he was handsome was an understatement, and he had been so brave during the war. Was he cocky? Yes, he had his moments. Was he opinionated? Only as much as Hermione was. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out what happened to his marriage. He had seen Bill with Fleur, seen the way he adored his wife. He was a protector, someone who would fight for what was right. Perhaps it was Fleur who had brought out his snarky attitude.

He grinned at her, bringing to her attention the fact that she had been staring. She swallowed hard; Fleur's loss would surely be another lucky girl's gain.

"Oh, is it really five o'clock?" Hermione asked when she looked at the clock. "I've got to get going."

"You don't want another pint?" Bill asked gesturing to their empty mugs.

She smiled across the tiny table at him. "As much fun as it would be to spend my whole paycheck feeding you and buying you beers, I need go get ready for a date," she said feeling a little guilty.

Bill unexpectedly felt a lump in his throat. After a hard swallow he asked himself why that bit of news was so shocking to him? After all, wasn't she smart and beautiful and hadn't he himself thought about her on a date with him, or maybe even more? "Oh yeah, who's the lucky guy?"

With a slight hesitation, she said, "Zacharias Smith."

"Are you serious?" Bill asked almost falling out of his chair. "I've heard of that wanker! How do you think I got Ginny to teach me her bat-bogey hex? She was willing to show it to me, because she had just tested it out on that scumbag at school. You're way too good for him, Hermione!" Bill was suddenly seething.

"But he's changed a lot since Hogwarts. And it's only my second date with him," Hermione said, trying to justify her situation, not that she really felt any loyalty to Zacharias. She squirmed in her seat, fully remembering how badly he had acted when they were students.

"I also heard that he gave Harry a hard time until Fred and George threatened him," Bill said crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Besides, he's a Hufflepuff with no backbone. You're smart and beautiful; you deserve a brave, courageous Gryffindor, nothing less."

Hermione pulled out a few galleons and set them on the table. "Well since none of _those_ seem to be jumping at the chance to ask me out, I will take what I can get!" she replied indignantly. "See you on Monday," she said and made her way to the pub door.

Just as she was about to apparate home, Hermione froze. "Smart and beautiful," she muttered, repeating Bill's words. But when she turned and looked back through the front window, Bill was no longer at the small table.

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><p><em>Oh Bill, inadvertently being charming! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review. <em>


	7. Chapter 7

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>Hermione was bored to tears. She had been on her date with Zacharias for all of an hour, and she just wanted to go home.<p>

"And that was when I took over as the department head. I really was the only one with the competence and knowledge to run the program efficiently. The department of International Magical Cooperation is so important to our daily lives, after all." He rambled on. Every topic Hermione brought up was completely taken over by stories of his self-praise.

"Mmhmm," Hermione muttered, twirling her necklace around her fingers. What was taking so long for their food to arrive? Hadn't she endured enough to justify calling it an early night?

Zacharias picked a speck of lint from his tie. "And what about your department? Muggle Security? That sounds drab, Hermione. Are you still the only one in the department?"

She bristled slightly at his words. "It's been enjoyable so far. I run the department, along with my assistant. We also have a Gringotts curse breaker working on several assignments with us. It's far from drab," she informed him with a frown.

He brushed his blond hair out of his eyes. "You should try for a transfer," he told her, not bothering to acknowledge that she enjoyed what she did. "I could try to get a spot for you in International Cooperation, but that might make it awkward for you to be flirting with your boss all day." He winked at Hermione, something he surely thought she would find appealing.

Groaning, Hermione looked around for their waiter; she had already had three glasses of wine, and their food was nowhere in sight. She just shrugged in response to Zacharias.

"Who did you get as your curse breaker?" he asked her offhandedly.

"Bill Weasley," she replied, delighted to see that food was on its way.

"Well at least he's been at Gringotts for awhile. I almost feel bad for the curse breakers, the way they keep getting pushed into new assignments every other week. There's no work for them now that the war is over. Dead end career," he muttered.

Hermione glared at him and stuck her knife into her chicken. Had their last date been this bad? Maybe she wouldn't have noticed if Bill hadn't said something earlier, but Zacharias was a right wanker. It also didn't help that she had been comparing him to Bill all night, and she couldn't help but feel as though Zacharias' blond hair was rather dull compared to ginger. And he wasn't even trying to be nice; at least Bill had changed his tune today.

"It's not a dead end career if their work is still useful," Hermione added after swallowing a bite of food. "I am certainly not trained to manage exploding post boxes on my own. That's why I needed him."

Zacharias burst into laughter. "I thought that post box rubbish was made up when I heard the Minister talking about it! You mean to tell me you are actually working on that ridiculous project?" he asked, chuckling at Hermione's apparent misfortune.

Hermione sighed. This date was a complete waste of time. "Yup, poor me," she muttered, shoveling her dinner down as if she had been training for an eating contest against Ron.

"Save some room for dessert," Zacharias told her with a smirk that made her want to run away.

"Actually, I'm rather full right now, and I think I'm too tired for a movie," Hermione informed him, trying to rapidly end their date.

Zacharias set his napkin down and signaled the waiter for their bill. "I'll take you home then," he said with a smile once he had paid for their meal.

The walk through Diagon Alley felt even longer than dinner, and Hermione wasn't enjoying Zacharias' arm draped across her shoulders. She kept trying to squirm away from him, but he kept coming back.

"Have I ever told you about my internship with Kingsley Shacklebolt? That was how I was offered a position at the Ministry to begin with..." he droned on about being the best intern in the history of interns.

"Oh look, there's my house!" Hermione announced when her porch came into view, still a block away. She picked up the pace and within a minute she was unlocking her front door.

"Pretty excited to get home, aren't you?" Zacharias asked as Hermione pushed her door open.

When she turned to say goodnight, she realized he had followed her into her living room. "What are you doing?" she asked haughtily, wanting to get away from him as soon as possible.

"I thought you wanted to skip to the end of the date, since you didn't want to go see the movie," he replied suggestively, taking her hand and kissing along her fingers until he reached her wrist.

She jerked her hand away from him. "You must be joking," she replied with a sarcastic laugh.

"But, Hermione, I wanted to-"

"But, nothing! I've tried my hardest to listen to you drone on and on about yourself, but it's so boring! And you're rude! I sincerely hope you aren't expecting another date with me. Good night," she told him with finality, pointing toward the front door. When he made another move to reach for her, she pulled her wand from her purse and pointed it at his nose. She watched him slowly back out of the door onto the porch, closing the door as he went.

Hermione huffed and kicked her shoes across the room before retreating to her bathroom. A very hot shower was the only thing that would make her feel better.

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><p>Bill spent the day on Saturday cleaning out boxes of things he retained after his divorce. These were the last items he had thrown together before he left Shell Cottage for good.<p>

Fleur's favourite vase? It sure would be fun to throw it out the window into the dumpster. So he did just that.

Her collection of priceless, designer, ceramic garden gnomes from _Better Gnomes and Gardens_? She would be mad if he gave them away instead of having her come pick them up. But, his mum would love them as a Christmas gift!

The diamond earrings he gave her for their anniversary? He would sell them and buy himself a watch.

He merrily sang along to the Wireless as he incinerated his wedding pictures, one photo at a time. When "Catch My Snitch" by the Weird Sisters came on, he turned the volume up and thought about Hermione as he tapped his wand to the tempo. He knew she was part of the reason he felt motivated to destroy all of his material reminders of Fleur. As much as he hated to admit it, Hermione had caught his interest. And as much as he wanted to forget about her, he knew he wouldn't be able to.

"Hey, this is kind of fun," he muttered, turning the pictures into paper airplanes and then zapping them as they flew around his flat.

He paused in his path of destruction to examine one of the wedding photos. He spotted Hermione, Harry and Ron off to the side of a picture of himself dancing with Fleur. Hermione looked radiant. In his jaded opinion, Fleur could have been removed completely from the image, and Hermione could have been placed in her spot, making the photo so much better.

He watched as the Hermione in the photo spun around in her blue dress before pausing to wink at Bill. He smiled at the image and immediately tore off the half containing Fleur. He set the good half of the picture aside and continued merrily with his previous work.

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><p><em>Aww Bill :) I guess he's having a better weekend than Hermione! I hope you enjoyed it!<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>After her hot shower on Friday night, Hermione finally got the icky feeling of Zacharias off of her skin. She slept in on Saturday and then invited Ginny to go to The Witch's Reward, a day spa in Diagon Alley.<p>

"How are you?" she asked the tall, thin redhead as her friend approached the spa entrance.

"Superb," Ginny replied pulling her friend into a hug. "Haven't seen you in weeks though."

They went into the building and were immediately surrounded by attendants and house elves who whisked them away into pedicure chairs. Hermione loved this business; the free house elves earned a good wage to pamper witches and give them a special day.

"What have you been up to?" Ginny asked as she removed her shoes.

"Busy at work. Did you know I'm working with Bill now?" she asked as she sunk her feet into the warm water.

"Yeah, he sent me an owl the other day," Ginny replied with a smile. "He said you're feisty."

"Feisty?" Hermione squeaked. "I'm not feisty! Your brother is the one with the attitude! He showed up like he was King of Gringotts and I was somehow ruining his life! You should have seen him, acting like I hadn't planned everything out ahead of time!" she huffed, crossing her arms with a scowl.

Ginny giggled at Hermione. "You're definitely feisty."

Hermione glared back before erupting into laughter. "Yeah, you're right. I am. So what else did Bill say about me?" she asked as a house elf offered them a drink. She sipped her Butterbeer and waited for Ginny to answer, not quite sure why Bill's opinion of her mattered so much.

Ginny took a sip of wine and picked out bright green polish for her toes. "Other than feisty? He said you're funny and much better looking than his old boss."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Like that would be difficult, I've met his boss before. He's about sixty."

Ginny relaxed fully into the cozy chair while her feet were massaged. "What did you do last night?" she asked Hermione.

"I uh, well I went on a date," Hermione said vaguely grasping for a new subject to pursue.

"With whom?"

Shit, she was too late. "Zacharias Smith," she muttered, reaching for a bottle of pink nail polish and avoiding Ginny's wide eyes.

"That complete wanking arse-hole! Are you joking?" Ginny belted out. The house elves looked startled before scampering back to work. "He's a horrible little person! I had to run him over with my broom to get him to shut his big, nasty mouth!"

"Look who's feisty now!" Hermione said, waving her hand at Ginny. She then slumped in her chair. "That's how Zacharias was when we were at Hogwarts," she pointed out.

"Well, how did the date go? Did you have a good time? Is he different now?" Ginny pressed.

"No," Hermione whispered. She watched as Ginny's eyes narrowed into slits of self satisfaction. "He wasn't so bad on the first date, but yesterday he was awful. Ugh."

"There's no use crying over spilt potion. You'll find someone better, Hermione," Ginny said with a smirk.

Hermione's mind drifted to Bill's words. Obviously she deserved someone better than Zacharias, she just didn't know how bad last night was going to be.

"You should come to the Burrow for meatloaf on Friday. Harry and I are going, and so are the twins. Bill will be there as well…" Ginny trailed off before finishing her wine.

"And so will Kingsley! I need some time away from my boss, for Merlin's sake," Hermione complained with a smile. "I'll think about it, Gin," she said with a laugh.

The girls enjoyed the rest of their afternoon of being pampered while Hermione's thoughts were on Bill.

* * *

><p>Bill awoke on Monday, eager to get to work. He wanted to tie up the loose ends of their assignment and see what was up next. But mostly he wanted to see Hermione.<p>

He strolled into the ministry before most of the other employees, grabbed a coffee from the break room as he went by, and arrived in time to see one of Hermione's drum solos. He stopped momentarily to watch her as her hair bounced up and down with the drumming motion but sadly the song ended and she looked up.

Hermione felt her cheeks warm slightly as she saw Bill watching her from the doorway. With a quick smirk she rose, "Good morning. How was your weekend?"

"You know, I thought that I might be able to beat you in to the office on Monday morning, but here you are already hard at work," Bill joked and pointed towards her wireless. "My weekend was fine. I got some chores done around the house…" his mind wandering back to destroying things that had once been Fleur's. "What about you?"

"Oh, it was all right. Pretty quiet actually. Although I did see your sister on Saturday afternoon which was nice."

"I'm surprised you had time to fit her in what with your big date and all." Bill's stomach turned a little as he spoke the words, but he might as well take the wind out of his sail earlier rather than later.

"Oh no," Hermione gagged, "I had plenty of free time! You could say that Zacharias' true colors came out and that's the last I want to say on the matter," she ended with a huff.

Bill couldn't help but smirk a little, but luckily Hermione had looked away so she didn't catch the grin on his face. Well it certainly was going to be a good day after all. "Do I need to punch Smith the next time I see him?" he asked, unable to conceal his smile.

"Why? What have you heard?" she asked quickly.

Bill's smile vanished. "What happened?" he demanded.

Hermione eyed him closely. "Absolutely nothing happened, because I had everything under control. He's just not welcome around me anymore."

Deciding not to press his luck on the topic, Bill nodded and took a seat. "What's on the agenda today, boss?"

He was rewarded with a bright smile and a laugh from Hermione. "You know, I don't even let Dennis call me 'boss'. Well, we are going to start a new project today."

"What about the Macnair situation?"

"I came in yesterday and took care of everything."

Bill gaped at her. "On Sunday? I thought I worked horrible hours for Gringotts, but do you ever take a break?"

Smirking, Hermione handed him a copy of the report which was currently sitting on Kingsley Shacklebolt's desk. "Willard Macnair was hiding in Romania after a previous arrest in France, and that is why there was almost no record of him in the Ministry's system," she recited merrily, happy to have completed a task.

Bill glanced through her report and agreed that she had done very thorough research. He set down the report and looked at her. "So, now what?"

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><p><em>What's next for this duo? Only the next chapter will tell. And I'll post it as soon as you all leave a review! :D<em>


	9. Chapter 9

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>"Cornish blue pixies," Hermione stated.<p>

Bill narrowed his eyes. "Huh?"

She smiled across the desk at him. "We have reason to believe that Cornish blue pixies have been intentionally placed in a Muggle school in Westminster to wreak havoc. Could be another dark follower like Macnair, could be a prank by some witches or wizards who live in the area. Regardless, Muggles can't see the pixies, so the inexplicable damage done to the school has administration believing they have vandals amongst their students. Not a pretty picture since Kingsley has already been contacted by the Prime Minister regarding the other mysterious happenings."

"So I'm assuming he wants this taken care of yesterday?" Bill asked, knowing how the Minister could get.

"Precisely," Hermione replied with a sigh.

"You do realize I'm a curse breaker, right? I'm not a specialist in magical creature care and removal," Bill told her.

"Maybe we should call Charlie," Hermione muttered, realizing she could probably have the entire Weasley family in her office working on these projects and still never get them done.

Bill, not wanting to show any sign of weakness, thought quickly on his feet, "But don't you worry, I might not be working with magical creatures as my job but I did do quite well with them in school! I'm sure we will be able to handle them faster than a Firebolt." There was no way he would _ever_ agree that any of his brothers were better than him in any aspect. Except Percy; nobody could brown-nose like Percy.

Hermione wasn't so sure that Bill's ego wasn't perhaps a little greater than his abilities, but she gave him an approving smirk nonetheless. "Well then I guess we should get started on a plan to rid the school of them."

"Right," he agreed, and the two of them fell into silence as they tried to think of a way to handle the situation. "Why don't we just immobilize them, cage them and hand them over to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Hermione said. "But we'll be swarmed by them, and they love to make mischief."

"Have you met Fred and George? I think I have enough experience in this field after all," Bill told her with a grin.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Bill and Hermione arrived at the school dressed in matching green jumpsuits. Kingsley Shacklebolt had arranged for them to appear as part of an extermination crew, and for their benefit, the school had cancelled classes for the day.<p>

"Let's get to work," Hermione said as they paused outside the suspect gymnasium.

"You open the door, and I'll start the attack," Bill said as he reached for the door handle.

"No, you open the door, and I'll start the attack," Hermione argued. "I had a class with Lockhart my second year where he let pixies loose and- never mind, just let me do it!"

"Don't argue with me, Hermione!" Bill fought back. "I have more experience."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We'll do it together then," she seethed before throwing the door open.

They entered the room together, wands drawn, and found a disaster. Hermione gaped at the torn flooring and the shredded ceiling tiles. Then the sound of dozens of pixies in flight overtook her senses.

As she gasped, Bill pulled her by the wrist until her body was flush with his. She looked up into his eyes, but he was scanning the room. "Hermione, duck!" he called as he shot a spell over her shoulder. She dodged out of the way, and he immobilized a bright blue pixie that had been reaching for her hair.

"Immobulus!" Hermione shouted just in time to suspend a pixie in place above Bill's head; it was holding a hammer.

"They're everywhere!" Bill shouted over the noise of the pixies chattering back and forth.

Hermione dodged a basketball that they threw at her and stunned three of them in a row. "Just keep going!"

Bill was at the other side of the large auditorium, crouching behind a battered podium when Hermione realized she had been cornered against the far wall. Bill was stunning a set of pixies when he heard her screams.

"Ow! Bill! Help me!" she screeched as five pixies picked her up by her hair.

"Hang on," he called back, blasting his way toward the middle of the room where Hermione had been lifted several feet from the floor. She was thrashing around, trying to hit the one that was tugging on the back of her jumpsuit.

"Get off of me!" she was shouting just as another pixie flew by and took her wand right out of her hand. "What the hell? Give that back!" she shrieked.

Bill would have been amused by the way Hermione looked like she was running around in midair, except for the fact that now there was an armed pixie chasing him around underneath her. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted, retrieving her wand from the wayward pixie and ducking out of the way as it flew straight for his head.

After stunning each of the blue pixies which had been holding her up by her hair, he was left with just the one grasping onto her jumpsuit. "Stop thrashing about, or I'll accidentally stun you!" he hollered at her.

Glaring down at him, she stopped her movements.

"Immobulus," he muttered at the precise moment he moved underneath her.

"Bill!" she shrieked before landing in his grasp. The wind was knocked from her lungs, but he managed to set her gently on the uneven floor.

"Immobulus!" she managed to say a second later when one of the pixies made a swan-dive toward Bill's head.

"This is ridiculous! Just stay close and get this done," Bill said as she zapped a few more. The pair stood back to back, partners in a duel against two dozen or so pixies. They moved as one, unable to be bested by the little trouble makers once they worked as a team.

Although the room was filled with a noticeable number of frozen ones, there were still a few flitting around. "Just get that one by the volleyball net," Hermione told Bill.

"By the what?" he asked. She realized he wouldn't understand the Muggle terminology and froze it herself.

"Is that all of them," she asked, cautiously taking a step away from Bill and looking wildly around the room.

"Think so," Bill confirmed as he ran a hand through his hair. He turned to look at Hermione, and immediately laughter bubbled to the surface which he could not contain.

Hermione's hair was sticking out in all directions, her hands were on her hips and she was glaring at him. "I'm sorry, but your hair is so funny, I can't stop," he gasped, clutching his sides as he roared with laughter.

"Oh yes, laugh it up Bill Weasley. Have a good chuckle," she muttered darkly. "But there will be nobody here to protect you when I do this!" She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him, reaching for his hair.

Not expecting for her to end up in his arms, Bill staggered back a step when her weight came colliding into him. He held onto her curvy body quite willingly until he realized why she was there. She reached behind him and pulled his hair loose from its tie and started to run her fingers through his silky ginger hair, causing it to stand out in odd places.

"Oh, you'll pay for this, Granger," he growled as she cackled merrily. Just then a flash of blue flew past them and they both stopped.

"Immobulus!" they shouted in unison, and two streaks of light hit the pixie at the same time, freezing it in place.

Bill and Hermione shared a smile. "Truce?" he asked, holding up his hands.

"For now," she agreed with a wink. "Now let's pack these little nuisances up in this cage," she said, pulling a tiny carrier from her pocket and expanding it in size.

"Right," he agreed. "Let's get them back to the Ministry."

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><p><em>Woohoo! Thanks for all of the reviews from chapter 8! That was awesome! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter as well! Thanks!<em>


	10. Chapter 10

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

__ I included a little part in this chapter just for Orange-Coyote!__

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><p>Bill and Hermione trudged from the Ministry of Magic apparition point to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, carrying an enlarged cage of pixies between them. The caged crate had been magically stretched to its maximum size to accommodate the fifty-seven Cornish blue pixies they had stunned and captured.<p>

"I didn't think it would be this heavy," Hermione groaned as she upheld her end of the crate. The chattering pixies inside slammed into the bars trying to escape.

"We're almost there. I can carry it the rest of the way," Bill replied, sliding his free hand along the edge of the container until he reached her hand.

She stopped walking for a moment before releasing her grasp. "Bill, we've only just reached the atrium. We aren't even close to the office yet. Are you sure?"

"Positive," he replied, seemingly unfazed by the additional weight he had to carry.

Hermione watched as he kept up with the same pace they had been walking before and spoke evenly as he strode along.

"Now, do we need to fill out any processing forms for these?" he asked glancing down at the carrier.

"Unfortunately yes we do. You know the Ministry doesn't make anything easy," Hermione said with a sigh, holding open the elevator doors for Bill. She pushed the button for level four. "You can just head home for the day if you like. I'll work on the forms and such."

"I'll stay," Bill told her as he turned to gaze down at her. "Don't give me that petulant look! Am I not occasionally worth putting up with?" he asked, lifting the heavy cage a little higher and nudging her shoulder with it.

Hermione giggled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, but only occasionally," she said with a smirk, noticing the way Bill's muscles filled out the sleeve of the garish jumpsuit.

"That would hurt if I didn't know that I'm already becoming one of your favourite two employees."

"I only have two employees," Hermione said flatly, trying to hide her smile.

"Regardless, I'll stick around and help you sort everything out," he concluded as the doors slid open. He just wasn't ready to go home for the evening yet.

As they wound through the confusing corridors of level four, they finally found the office they needed. It was a good thing too; Bill's arms were starting to tire. "Here we are," Hermione said, and Bill set the crate on the floor in the front office. Hermione took the appropriate paperwork from the clerk, and together, she and Bill started to fill everything out at a small table.

After a few minutes of filling out forms and regulatory guide sheets, Hermione closed her eyes and ran her hands through her still unruly hair. Bill was remembering exactly how her small hands felt as they glided through his own hair just a short hour ago. He watched as she tipped her head back, the top buttons of her jumpsuit straining across her breasts as she stretched. "Mmm," she moaned, reaching her arms straight up before relaxing back into her normal seated position. "It's a good thing you're here," she told him, picking up her quill once again.

"It is?" he managed, his voice sounding strained to his own ears.

"I don't fancy filling out all of this on my own after all," she told him with a laugh.

Swallowing hard, Bill nodded and returned her smile, realizing he had barely done anything other than write his name since they sat down; she was too bloody distracting. He sat up straighter in his chair and forced his eyes downward toward the papers.

Hermione looked at him from the corner of her eye. When he wasn't being difficult, he was really quite enjoyable to be around. Fleur must have been mental to let him get away, she thought. Having Bill around all the time would be great. Hermione's mind drifted to thoughts of never having to carry anything heavy or climb onto her kitchen counters to have to reach anything ever again. She looked at his messy hair and grinned; he was easy on the eyes too.

"Hermione, do we meet these requirements?" he suddenly asked, turning his hazel eyes on hers.

"Pardon?" she sputtered, embarrassed to have been caught checking him out.

Bill held out one of the forms for her. "Maybe you should fill that one out, because I'm not sure about the Ministry requirements," he said, handing it to her.

Getting her bearings back, Hermione breezed through the paperwork with Bill and handed everything over to the clerk.

"What's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Bill asked as they made their way back to the atrium to leave for the day.

"More paperwork," she said with a frown. "If you can handle it."

"So no need for this lovely jumpsuit?" he asked, and she just had to laugh.

"Wear whatever you want. Except for the jumpsuit," she told him, crinkling her nose at her own attire. "I've got to run up to my office. Have a great night."

"See you tomorrow," Bill said with a grin as he left for the evening.

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><p>Hermione found herself at work again early on Tuesday, and by the time Bill arrived she was already frustrated. He arrived to find her scribbling on some parchment and mumbling to herself.<p>

"You all right?" he asked, and she jumped a little in her seat.

"Yeah, just already annoyed," she muttered. She took a moment to admire how he had dressed in a pair of black trousers and a light green dress shirt unlike his usual jeans and tees.

"Must be, you aren't even listening to the Wireless," he noted, plopping into one of the chairs across the desk from her. "Can I try to help you?"

Hermione slid a stack of parchment across the desk to Bill. "There is a new report we have to fill out when dealing with Muggle affairs. I have to write a few press releases for the Muggle Prime Minister by the end of the day, but they each have this LSM-25 report that goes with them now."

Bill took the pages from her and nodded. "Yep, the LSMs. Been working with these for awhile."

"You have?" Hermione asked, and her mood instantly brightened.

"Sure. Every time a curse breaker visits a Muggle inhabited location site, these need to be in effect," he said, handing the parchments back to her nonchalantly.

Although she hated to admit she needed help, Hermione asked, "Could you explain it to me?"

Bill picked up his chair and carried it over next to Hermione's. "First, you'll need to fill in the incident number right there at the top," he said. His arm rubbed against hers as he showed her where to write, and Hermione felt an electric chill run up her spine.

She bit her lip and scrawled down the numbers.

"Next, we'll go down the form step by step. Section one deals with the charms that you had to use." Bill explained every section to her, answering each question that arose.

By the time she started one of the LSM-25 forms on her own, Dennis had arrived with coffee and doughnuts. By the afternoon, the three of them were crowded around her desk, finishing the press releases.

"This one is finished. You just need to proofread it and sign it," Bill told her. For the third time that day, his skin touched hers and she had to wait a minute for her pulse to calm down. Bill caught her eye and smiled.

"Do you guys think the Prime Minister would use the word 'wonky'?" Dennis asked them in complete seriousness.

Bill and Hermione burst into laughter as Dennis looked between them, still awaiting an answer to his question.

"Dennis, why don't you let me finish that one," Hermione said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

Dennis shrugged and handed it across the desk. "I'm going to sort your office memos," he said, disappearing to the front office.

Bill and Hermione continued to work side by side, occasionally sharing a thought or asking a question. By the time she looked at her watch and saw that it was after four o'clock, she threw down her quill.

"I'm going to be late for dinner!" she said, jumping up.

"Dinner?" Bill asked, hoping she wasn't going to see Zacharias again.

"Yeah, I told my parents I would meet them at five thirty. They live in Surrey though, so I've got to get a move on." She dumped some parchments into her bag. "Ready for another field assignment tomorrow?" she asked.

"Whatever you say, boss," he said with a wink, standing and leading the way out of her office.

"Well then, I say tomorrow we are going to get a little dirty. You may even want to wear your jumpsuit," she told him earning a hearty laugh.

"You just can't get enough of me in that jumpsuit, can you?"

Hermione turned slightly pink and brushed past him to get to her parents' house on time. "Good night, Bill," she called, unwilling to comment on his question.

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><p>Another day spent working with Hermione was another day Bill went home invigorated. He always left her feeling like he'd spent a day debating with an intellectual equal. She was someone who would keep him on his toes. She was a new challenge.<p>

He had to admit, he was more than a little relieved that her date with Smith had gone so poorly and that she wasn't seeing him again. There was no way he would ever be the sort of man Hermione deserved. She needed someone who would work every day to keep her incredible mind inspired, someone who would make a point to challenge her. If Bill were being honest, he would agree she deserved someone like himself.

He sat in his kitchen, picking at his dinner. More than once while sitting next to her, he let himself touch her. He couldn't help it.

He picked up the photograph of Hermione from his wedding and watched her twirl. Even their arguments at work had started to take on an almost appreciative tone. Frankly, he had gotten to the point where he didn't start the fights with her because he was angry, rather he just wanted to get her flustered. It was almost flirtatious. She would inevitably fight back, invade his personal space and then turn pink. It was the most intimate thing he had done with a woman in a number of months, and it made him want to kiss her.

"What is wrong with you?" he scolded himself aloud, setting down the picture. "You shouldn't be thinking about _her_ this way. You're too old, and she's your boss." He turned the picture over and took his plate to the sink, but he couldn't escape the thought of her.

A cold shower was potentially his only option.

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><p><em>:D I hope you enjoyed it! Things are heating up nicely for them, it seems. Don't forget to review!<br>_


	11. Chapter 11

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>Hermione trotted into the Ministry much later than usual on Wednesday morning, and she was glad she had been wearing jeans and her trainers. Having stayed with her parents much longer than expected last evening made her sleep through her alarm clock ringing in the morning.<p>

Dennis was already at his desk hard at work when she ran in. "Morning, Hermione," he said, handing her a pastry and a mug of coffee as she went by.

"Thanks," she replied, shooting him a smile as she entered her office.

And there was Bill, sitting in her chair, feet propped up on her desk. He was reading _The Daily Prophet_, and without looking up he said, "You're late, Ms. Granger."

Hermione snorted and set down her breakfast. She took a good look at him. He was wearing a black tee shirt that fit him snuggly across the chest, worn jeans, and old dragon hide boots. He finally glanced up at her, and she felt slightly giddy when he smirked. He seemed to know when she was checking him out for a few seconds longer than she should be.

"Feet off my desk, Mr. Weasley. Ten points from Gryffindor," she said, doing her best impression of their former head of house.

Bill laughed and set down his newspaper. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming in today," he said, holding her chair out for her.

She took her seat and yawned. "Oh you know how parents are, they kept me way past dinner, and then we argued about why I haven't found a nice young man and settled down yet." She rolled her eyes. "So I went home, drank some wine and slept in accidentally." She didn't mention the fact that she had been thinking about Bill the entire time her mom was lecturing her about dating.

"Totally justified," Bill promised her. He was less willing to admit that he had spent his evening trying not to think about how much he wanted to snog her. "So what's on the agenda for today?" he asked.

Hermione sipped her coffee and handed him a sheet of parchment with the Minister's signature on the bottom. "A Muggle farmer was on the news claiming someone ruined his field by carving out crop circles."

"So what's the big deal? Why is the Ministry involved?"

"The patterns are in the shape of the Dark Mark," she replied handing him a photograph. "Kingsley wants us to check it out, see what we think is going on. But, he's getting nervous. Maybe there are others like Willard Macnair out there. Other dark wizards and witches who still have anti-Muggle ideals."

Bill watched the tense line of her jaw as she looked at one of the photos. He knew he could never relate to how a Muggle-born witch or wizard felt. Surely it was a complete shock to be plucked from one life and thrown into a completely new world.

"So we'll check out the farm?" he asked, and when she nodded they both stood. She grabbed a broomstick from Dennis on their way out, knowing they might need to use it later.

Hermione apparated them together, and they arrived on the edge of the field right in a patch of mud. Hermione looked up at the grey clouds above them and frowned.

"Perfect," Hermione snarled, realizing her trainers were complete soaked. When she noticed that she was still holding tightly to Bill's arms, she released them as if she had been burned.

"It doesn't look much better anywhere else," Bill noted as he looked around at the field which had been soaked from excess rain. "At least it's not raining right now."

Hermione took a large step up onto a rock and caught her balance. "I think that we should examine the field first." She looked across some of the crops that had been flattened.

"No, we definitely need to check the area for any curses," Bill replied, pulling out his wand.

"Well we can do that while we check over everything."

"That's not how it should be done. We need to confirm that the fields are safe."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're so argumentative," she muttered and stormed away from him. Bill could only smile as he scanned some diagnostic spells around them.

"Better safe than sorry," he said as he followed after her. They spent several hours this way, Bill casting spells while Hermione examined the fields.

Once they had checked everything on the ground, Hermione held out the broomstick. "Now we need to examine the image from the air."

"Want me to do it, since you're afraid of flying?" he asked, reaching out for the broom.

She yanked it away from him with a scowl. "I'm not afraid!" she cried indignantly.

Bill sighed. "I know you're not fond of it."

"I can do it just fine!" she said, stomping her foot.

"Why don't we go up together?" he asked, more than slightly amused by her hysterics.

She looked from the broom to Bill and glared at him. "Fine."

Bill sat on the broom with Hermione in front of him and kicked off from the ground. He heard her stifled cry of terror as her feet left the ground. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" she squeaked, gripping tightly to the broom handle. Bill felt her slide herself backward against his body until her bum was pressed up against him. He had to bite his lip to avoid an audible groan.

Her whole body went tense as he guided the broom upward. Bill tried to keep the broom very steady as he looked downward at the Dark Mark carved in the farmer's crops; it really was an eerie sight to see.

Bill leaned slightly forward and heard Hermione muttering to herself. "Hermione are you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood?" he asked gently.

"No! I'm just thinking out loud!" she nearly screamed back at him as she shook.

Bill started to guide the broom downward. "Honestly, we aren't gathering any information up here. Let's get back on the ground."

Hermione wrapped her body so tightly around the broom as they neared the ground that Bill wasn't sure he would be able to get her to release it. Once he touched down, she jumped off of the broom like it had tried to attack her.

"You don't have to act like you're great at everything, Hermione," Bill told her. "It's all right."

"What do you mean?" she bristled, eyeing the broom warily in his hand. She had always felt like a failure when it came to flying, and it automatically set her defensive barrier in place.

"You're good at tons of other things. You don't have to be good at flying. Hell, you don't even have to enjoy it," Bill said as he set the broom down in the mud.

Hermione closed the gap between them. "How do you know that I can't fly better than you? Maybe that would have bothered me less if I had been the one controlling the broom!" she said, her tone turning accusatory.

Her cheeks were flushed, her fists were clenched; she was wound up to the point of boiling over.

Bill crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at her. "I find that hard to believe since I have been playing Quidditch seeker for literally decades," he growled, eliciting a squeak of annoyance from her.

Hermione huffed. "Perhaps you're the one who needs to accept that they aren't the best at everything, Bill Weasley!"

"Hermione, just accept that your talents do not extend to flying."

"Make me!" she cried, jutting her jaw forward and throwing her fists to her sides.

Unable to prevent himself, Bill roughly pulled her body against his. His breath caught in his throat as her eyes grew wide before fluttering closed. He pressed his lips to hers with feverish passion, and Hermione staggered back a step. She clung onto his shoulders, stood on her toes and kissed him back with bruising force.

Their fervent argument continued, not with words but with a new kind of passion found only in each other's lips. Bill tilted her chin upward and she parted her lips as his tongue met hers.

Hermione moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck before abruptly thrusting her hands between them and pushing him away. She took a step back, eyes wide once more.

"I-I… sorry," Bill muttered, startled back to reality as he looked at her, bruised lips and all.

"Just keep in mind, this doesn't mean you win the argument, Weasley," she hissed before grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him into another kiss. This one was less forceful and yet even more ardent.

Bill smiled against her lips. "No, of course not," he whispered between kisses.

Hermione's body was giving in to the recent craving she'd had; she realized she had been specifically longing for Bill since the previous week. She let her fingers explore every part of his neck, chest and arms, memorizing each scar as she went.

As he let his hands trail down her back to her hips, Bill was certain that at any moment she would push him to the ground and hex him to bits. But it was worth every moment it lasted.

Their breathing became uneven as they snogged until a loud clap of thunder finally drew them apart.

They gaped at each other momentarily before Hermione picked up the broom and apparated them back to the Ministry, unable to speak until they were back in familiar territory. She took a deep breath and said, "I think we have a problem."

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><p><em>And the pot has boiled over! I hope you liked this chapter! Don't forget to review... it might persuade me to update faster...<em>


	12. Chapter 12

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>Bill had to chase after her as she took off toward her office. Once they reached their destination and had her desk safely between them, Bill leaned forward and said, "I wouldn't call what just happened between us in that field a problem." His voice was barely above a whisper, and his eyes held her gaze. "Maybe we got a little carried away, but don't say that didn't affect you at all." His heart was pounding as he waited for her to speak.<p>

"I never said that," Hermione replied, her cheeks stained that beautiful shade of pink that Bill liked so much. "You quite obviously… affect me," she managed through her embarrassment, thankful that her desk separated them.

"Then what's the problem?" he asked.

"Didn't you see that field? The problem is that I seriously doubt that there is just one person going around terrorizing the English countryside. Kingsley is right to be so nervous; it seems to me that more than one or two witches or wizards have set out to harm Muggles."

Bill eyed her skeptically. "It certainly does seem that way, after all of the things you've been dealing with this year. But, I was asking, is there a problem with us?" he questioned.

Just as the pink colour had started to recede from her cheeks, he made her feel all warm again. "I'm your boss. This is my department. We shouldn't make a habit of… that."

"You're _temporarily _my boss," he reminded her, leaning across her desk. "And thank Merlin for that. If I had to work with you for the rest of my career, neither of us would get anything done seeing as arguing with you makes me want to snog you senseless."

"Bill," Hermione gasped, trying not to grin as she pointed to her open door. "Dennis will hear you," she hissed.

Bill shrugged and sat down across from her. "Look if you're not interested, just say so. We'll forget it even happened."

Hermione sat as well. "I… I didn't say that... But Bill, this assignment is important to me, and I can't be snogging you all day."

"Right," he said too quickly. "Then you'll be my boss and I'll be your employee who does whatever you say. What's on the agenda now?"

Hermione played with the hem of her shirt. Bill's kisses had felt like the real deal, even better than the way the hero kissed his true love in Muggle romance novels. But how was she supposed to work in close proximity with him now that she knew what her body felt like when Bill held her?

She glanced up at him, but he was no longer looking at her with personal interest. He was back to business. She sighed. "I think we need to write up a report for Kingsley regarding today's visit."

Just then Kingsley Shacklebolt strode through her open office door. "No need to write a report. Just tell me now. But first, you should know that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has officers at King's Cross station."

"Why?" Hermione and Bill asked in unison.

"Killing curse attempted on a Muggle," he replied grimly. "They are Obliviating several Muggle witnesses, and hopefully taking someone into custody. I hope the two of you have learned something that will get us closer to stopping all of this."

"The field looked suspiciously like more than one or two people are involved. And after catching Macnair, it's going to be hard to pinpoint who else is involved, because he had an almost untraceable record," Hermione informed him.

Kingsley rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. "The problem seems to be the locations."

"Crawley, Westminster, a farm in the middle of Wiltshire, and central London," Hermione recited.

"Doesn't add up," Bill agreed.

"Can we petition for a chance to speak to Willard Macnair under the influence of Veritaserum?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"That's a great idea. And how about this person they are taking into custody at King's Cross?" Bill added.

Kingsley shook his head. "The amount of paperwork regarding criminal rights would take weeks to file."

"Sod that! You're the bloody Minister of Magic," Hermione replied with anger. "And we need to get to the bottom of this now! It's terrorism!"

Bill and Kingsley both gaped at her. Bill started to laugh. "I have to agree with Hermione on this one."

Kingsley took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Let me see what I can do. Hermione, I want you in my emergency council meeting first thing tomorrow morning. Bill, please be at King's Cross station by eight o'clock tomorrow and check the entire area for evidence of any lingering curses. By the way," he paused with a changing expression on his way out the door, "please let Molly know I'm looking forward to meatloaf night." And with that, he was gone.

Bill stood and eyed Hermione cautiously for a moment. "If you're ready to leave I'll walk you out."

She looked at him for a long moment. "I think I'll stay here and finish up some things," she managed weakly, unsure of exactly why she felt guilty.

"Right. See you tomorrow," Bill replied cordially. He walked briskly through the Ministry and made his way home through Diagon Alley.

Why did he have to kiss her? He had gone and completely complicated everything. It would probably be impossible to work with her now. She may never look at him the same way with her beautiful cinnamon coloured eyes. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Smiling, Bill poured himself a bowl of cereal for dinner and looked at the picture of Hermione twirling around. Even with all of the snogging, he'd only been able to postpone their arguing for a few minutes. She was stunning, passionate and stubborn, and Bill had no right being so interested in her.

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><p>Hermione tossed and turned all night. She had a very detailed, inappropriate dream about taking a long, steamy, luxurious shower with Bill, and after that, she found it very difficult to sleep. She woke on Thursday morning just knowing it would be a long day filled with meetings before she was allowed to see Bill again. She wanted to throw caution to the wind and see what might happen with him, but she was afraid.<p>

Sighing, she slipped on a charcoal coloured skirt and matching suit coat and pulled her hair into a ballerina bun. After applying some makeup to hide her tiredness, she slipped on her impractical black heels and flooed to the Ministry. She arrived just in time to make her way to conference room number seven for Kingsley's mandatory meeting.

"Good morning," she mumbled to a few of her colleagues as she poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the long table. If she were lucky, this would be quick and painless, and she could meet up with Bill at King's Cross before lunchtime. A slow smile spread across her lips as she thought about him.

From the corner of her eye, she saw someone drop into the seat next to her. When she turned to see who it was, she immediately snarled, "What are you doing here?"

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><p><em>Oooh, he's thinking about her, and she's having steamy dreams about him... what could possibly go wrong? Please leave a review! <em>


	13. Chapter 13

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>"What are you doing here?"<p>

Hermione turned an annoyed glare on the man next to her, but Zacharias Smith merely graced her with a smile that would have made a lesser woman swoon.

"Hermione, I haven't seen you all week," he told her with a pout, pulling out some notes for the meeting. "One might think you were playing hard to get."

"One might think I was outright avoiding you," she muttered to herself. She plastered a fake smile on her lips, not wanting to cause a scene in the conference in front of her colleagues. "I thought I made myself perfectly clear last weekend," she managed to say through her clenched teeth.

Zacharias chuckled and smiled at her as if she had only been joking at her apartment. "I'll take you out again tomorrow night, and you can make last weekend up to me."

The quill Hermione had been holding snapped in half, and she knew her cheeks were bright red. Seething, she was about to give him a piece of her mind, and then Kingsley called the group to attention.

"We have an update from the Aurors office and Magical Law enforcement. An Armenian wizard was taken into custody at King's Cross station yesterday for attempted murder of a Muggle in a public restroom. He is believed to be related to Antonin Dolohov. There seems to be activity amongst followers of the dark arts who never pledged direct allegiance to Voldemort, and they are targeting Muggles."

The dozen or so Ministry of Magic employees who were present shared startled looks up and down the conference table. Hermione kept her eyes fixed on Kingsley, afraid of inadvertently matching gazes with Zacharias again. Instead she held onto her broken quill and kept listening to her boss.

"Several employees in different departments are working to get to the bottom of this and to uphold the Muggle and Magical alliances we live by," Kingsley continued. "I have already spoken to some of you individually, but any questions can be directed to my office staff. Now, I'll have Marcus Belby fill us in on the details from yesterday's arrest."

Hermione listened as much as she could to what Belby was telling the group. Apparently there was some hope that they would be able to obtain information from the two already taken into custody. When Belby finished divulging his information, Hermione popped out of her seat, anxious to get on with the rest of her day.

Zacharias' hand immediately flew to her shoulder and spun her around to face him as the other occupants of the room chatted and filed out.

"What do you want now?" she nearly yelled at him.

She was gratified to see that he looked slightly startled. "I wanted to make plans for tomorrow evening," he said with uncertainty.

"Why can't I get through to you?" she asked, fully exasperated. She gestured to herself as if he were hard of hearing and said clearly, "I don't want to go anywhere with you." She jabbed him in the chest with her broken quill as she spoke the last word.

"But-"

"Fine, you know what? Just go ahead and make a reservation at Chez Blanc, and maybe when I don't show up, you'll get the picture," Hermione spat as she stormed out of the room. By the time she made it back to her office, she was still fuming.

"Rough meeting?" Dennis asked as he handed her a muffin.

"Thanks," she mumbled, eternally grateful that her assistant always seemed to know when she had skipped meals. She picked at the muffin as she told him about her meeting.

"Doesn't sound too bad to me. Why do you look like you've just seen a boggart?" he asked.

Hermione sighed. "Has there ever been a girl who wouldn't leave you alone, even though you tried to let her know just as nicely as you could that you did not have any romantic feelings for her?" she asked and received a completely puzzled look in return. "No? Well, never mind then. I had best be off to King's Cross to see how Bill is getting on."

Suddenly thoughts of the dream she'd had the previous night flooded her mind, and she could picture nothing but Bill taking a shower with her. Biting her lip and trying to fight off the blush she knew was coming, she cleared her throat. She spun on her heel and left Dennis before he could suggest she might need to see a Healer.

She managed to apparate to King's Cross station, her mind still swimming with thoughts of both Bill and Zacharias. She gathered her thoughts and found the area that was taped off with yellow police signs. When she was near enough, she felt a privacy charm envelope her body, and she realized that none of the Muggles would be able to see this particular part of the train station while the Ministry was investigating.

Hermione clicked along the tiled floor in her high heels, aware that this part of the train station was eerily empty and quiet. She couldn't wait to find Bill. She pushed the men's restroom door open and was met with a wand in her face.

Bill let out the breath he had been holding. "Oh, Hermione, it's just you," he said, dropping his wand. His heartbeat sped up a little bit as he took in her appearance with his hungry eyes.

Hermione's hands instinctively settled on her hips. "Who were you expecting? Gilderoy Lockhart?" she asked with a laugh.

"Well, seeing as this is a men's loo, I wasn't expecting a woman to come waltzing in," he replied with a smirk.

She glared at him playfully, "Why did you pull your wand on me anyway?"

Bill looked around at the dingy white tiled bathroom. "It's this room I think. My nerves are on edge. There were a lot of remnants of dark curses when I arrived. I took notes and recorded everything, and then the silence was just too much. I'm glad you're here," he admitted keeping her eye contact.

Hermione blushed, thinking only about the snogging they managed to fit into their work schedule the previous day. She wanted Bill, but she wouldn't admit to herself that she was allowed to have him.

"I'm glad I'm here too. This morning's meeting was a little too much," she muttered, magically cleaning off the counter next to the sink until it was shiny white. "May I look at your notes?" she asked, taking a seat on the counter.

Bill handed over his parchment and sat next to her. He watched her face as she read, her emotions and thoughts clearly displayed. She changed gears from concerned to surprise to calculating. As she muttered to herself, he compared her to the photograph he'd kept at his flat. She had matured, of course, but she still looked the same to him. She was always beautiful, even when she was wearing torn jeans and trainers, but there was something extra special about seeing her like this.

Instinctively, Bill reached out and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. He froze when Hermione's gaze met his, and then her eyes fluttered closed.

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><p><em>What's up next? Could it be more snogging? Please review!<em>


	14. Chapter 14

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>Hermione's eyes fluttered closed at his touch. She could feel rather than see his movements as he leaned toward her lips.<p>

"Bill, we shouldn't," she whispered as his lips brushed against hers. But it was hopeless. She pressed her mouth against his kiss and felt the warmth of his body invade her senses. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled herself close to him.

He grunted in appreciation as her body met his. He could feel her pulse speed up as she tangled her fingers through his long hair, and he nearly gasped as she parted her lips and slipped her tongue into his mouth. He kissed her gently and reverently, unlike their overly zealous snogging from the previous day. Hermione's full lips moved against his so sensually, the bruising power replaced with longing.

Bill traced her chin with his thumb, and Hermione's fingers curled more tightly in his hair. She drew her lips away from his, a hazy look in her eyes. He watched as she slowly realized what they had been doing, and her eyes grew wide as she released him.

"Sorry," she muttered as she hopped off the counter. "We shouldn't do that," she said, unable to meet his eyes as she set his notes down.

Bill bit his lip. This was the first witch he had allowed himself to form any attachment to since Fleur, and he didn't want to muck it all up. But on the other hand, he knew he wanted more from Hermione.

The men's bathroom door opened with a loud bang, causing Hermione and Bill to both jump to attention. "I figured I would find you both here," Kingsley said merrily. He was peppier than he had been in weeks.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, straightening out her suit coat and taking another step away from Bill. The last thing she wanted was for her boss to catch wind of them snogging.

"It seems as though your idea about garnering information from the wizards in custody may come to fruition. I've been given permission to have law enforcement officers question them."

Hermione smiled. "Brilliant! Then maybe we can get to the bottom of this whole mess."

"First I need you to complete a new assignment by tomorrow. Bill, can I see your notes?" Kingsley asked, taking the parchments and scanning through them. "Fine. Great work," he muttered, tucking them into his robes. "Now here is your ticket for an international Portkey to Armenia. The Armenian minister is awaiting a visit from our best curse breaker to clear the home of Makar Gordian, half brother of Antonin Dolohov. Shouldn't take more than a day now that you've disabled the curses he left here," he added with a smile, gesturing to the men's loo in which they stood.

Bill gaped at the paperwork in front of him. "This Portkey leaves in thirty minutes," he said slowly.

"Better get a move on then. Their government officials will take care of anything you need for the night. Don't worry, you'll be back in time for your Mum's meatloaf tomorrow evening!" Kingsley replied with a chuckle.

With a wistful look at Hermione, Bill nodded once and turned toward the exit. Hermione felt her heart sink the moment he was gone, and her gaze lingered on the door.

"I need you to work through these Arithmantic problems and let me know the probability of successfully predicting counter-curses," Kingsley told her, pulling her from her thoughts.

Hermione nodded and took the notes. "I'll have them back to you by tomorrow," she promised as she left the restroom and made her way back to her office in the Ministry.

* * *

><p>By Friday morning, Hermione felt no closer to completing her task than she did when Kingsley handed her the information. She was more distracted than she could ever remember having been in her life.<p>

"There are no distractions here at all," she muttered to herself. She sat in her silent office and scratched away with her quill all alone. And that was the problem. There was a complete lack of Bill distracting her, and she couldn't take it! After just two weeks of working with the man, she really did miss his presence today.

She looked up from her calculations as Dennis arrived and sat at his desk in her outer-office. "Finally," she murmured, jumping up and dashing out to see him.

"Morning, Dennis! How are you? Did you have a good evening? What are you working on today?" she asked, excited to have a distraction.

He looked at her concernedly. "I'm fine. I really have a lot to work on today. I'm trying to finish some reports for you and the Minister," he told his boss, gesturing to the piles of work on his desk. "I might not even have time to get you a doughnut today," he apologized, digging into his work.

"Oh, that's fine," she replied, and noting that he was no longer listening to her, she sauntered back into her office.

"So much for a distraction to take my mind from my missing distraction," she said as she plopped down into her chair and returned to scribbling on her sheet of calculations.

Finally getting into a rhythm, she worked through lunch, never stopping until the inter-office mail was dropped off. Stretching and taking a break, she tore into the envelopes finding a note from Ginny.

_Come to dinner tonight. -Gin_

"How very descriptive," she said, rolling her eyes as she dropped the note from her friend into the rubbish bin. She had already been debating about whether going to dinner at the Burrow would be a good idea, or whether she should avoid it all together. If Bill made it back in time, he would be there, which was precisely the reason she should stay home or perhaps do some shopping in Diagon Alley. She shuddered as she remembered that Zacharias could potentially be lurking about in the city looking for her.

Still, even she wasn't fool enough to believe that she would be able to stay away from Bill if she continued to spend time with him. For Merlin's sake, she had snogged him in a men's loo! In King's Cross station! It was probably hopeless whether she went to dinner or not. She might as well make Ginny and Molly happy by going.

* * *

><p>Hermione arrived at the Burrow at six o'clock for dinner. After work, she had taken the time to dress in her new jeans and a purple blouse. She used her wand to wind her hair into a sea of curls and used some lipstick, just in case Bill was present.<p>

But now that she was standing on the front porch of the Weasley family home, she thought it was a bad idea to stay. Everyone would know she came to see Bill; she never usually did her hair so nicely or wore makeup. Sighing, she knew she didn't want to disappoint everyone already inside. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Ron.

"Hermione." He breathed her name just as he always did when they were together. Hermione's throat felt a little tight

"Ron," she muttered, giving him a hug in the front doorway. She hadn't seen him in a long time, and although they agreed to stay friends, it was always a little difficult.

"Ronald, who's there?" Molly called from the kitchen.

Hermione smiled at Ron and made her way into the living room. After hugging Percy, Fred, George, Ginny and Harry, she headed for the kitchen.

"Hermione!" Molly and Arthur sang in unison. Arthur patted her affectionately on the head and Molly smothered her in hugs and kisses.

"Sorry I'm a little early for dinner," Hermione said as she watched Molly load the oven with no fewer than seven meatloaf pans.

"Nonsense my dear, you are always welcome, any time!" Molly promised with a motherly smile. "Now have you seen Bill? I know he's been working with you," she said, and Hermione noted a distinct glint in the woman's eyes.

Hermione shook her head sadly. "He's not back yet?" Her heart sank to her feet. What would be taking him so long?

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><p><em>Ahhh, sorry to end it there. The next chapter will include more of the evening at the Burrow. <em>

_In the meantime, if you are craving more Weasley goodness, check out my new Charlie/Hermione story Very Desirable.  
><em>

_Please leave a review :)_


	15. Chapter 15

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>Bill ran through the Armenian Ministry building through throngs of people, trying to reach his Portkey on time. His overnight bag was starting to feel a little heavy as the evening wore on. The day had been overwhelming, even for a curse breaker at his level of experience. His duties at the home of Makar Gordian had taken all night the previous evening, and he knew he would have to spend half of Monday filling out more paperwork. He just wanted to be home with his family and eat dinner with Hermione.<p>

He paused and struggled to translate the visitor information signs; Armenian was never his best language. "Excuse me?" he asked the well dressed Ministry employees around him. They all looked warily at the dusty, dirty curse breaker before continuing on their way. "Can anyone tell me where to find the international Portkey gate?" Receiving no response, he sighed and took off down the corridor to his left.

When he heard the distant announcement for the Portkey to London, he started running and arrived at the platform just as a group of people clutching a red bathrobe vanished from view.

"Bugger!" he muttered taking a seat on a bench nearby to gather himself. He thought, perhaps, that he was getting too old for business travel after all.

A crackling intercom announced a message first in Armenian and then in English. "The last international Portkey for today will be departing for London in thirty minutes."

Bill checked his watch and considered the time zones. Surely everyone would be arriving for dinner at the Burrow by now. Ginny and his mum had been bugging him all week to make sure Hermione would be attending meatloaf night, and now it looked like he would be the one missing it.

When the announcement finally came for the last Portkey departure, Bill jumped up from the bench and made his way to the platform. A small, sallow looking wizard ripped his ticket from his fingers before he could say anything. Then one corner of a stained bed sheet was thrust into his hand. Bill frowned at the dirty fabric and lightly held onto the edge as a dozen other witches and wizards strode onto the platform and followed suit.

As he waited for a final announcement or departure notice to be made, he felt the ground slide away from his feet, and he squeezed the fabric tighter. As he vanished from Armenia and appeared in London, he took a moment to catch his breath.

If he stopped home to shower, he would be even later for dinner, but he didn't see any other option. He was getting more strange looks from passersby.

He strode quickly through the corridors to the main lobby, holding tightly to the case of information and items he had collected from Makar Gordian's home. He just wanted to hand this over to Kingsley and then see Hermione.

* * *

><p>Molly and Ginny each took turns glancing at Hermione as they set the table with help from Kingsley. Hermione was looking distractedly out the kitchen window, barely answering their questions or adding to the conversation.<p>

"Hermione dear, would you bring the basket of bread over here to the table?" Molly asked.

"Mmhmm, yes," she responded, making no move toward the freshly baked rolls. She merely continued to stare out into the darkening evening.

Ginny smirked and picked up the basket herself. "Hermione, did you see that purple unicorn fly through the room?"

"Oh yes," she said without turning to look at her friend.

Ginny snorted. "He'll be here soon, Hermione. He's been bugging at me for the past week to make sure you'd be here tonight. Bill wouldn't miss this."

Hermione spun around to glare at Ginny. "I wasn't waiting for him!" she insisted in a whisper, not wanting to be overheard by Kingsley and Molly. She was pretty sure she and Bill were raising enough suspicion already without assistance from the youngest Weasley.

Before Ginny was able to make a snide comment, the kitchen door swung open, and Bill appeared. Hermione felt a wave of relief wash through her followed by a wave of nerves. There he stood in one of those tee shirts that barely left any of his muscular form to the imagination. His long ponytail was wet, making it appear to be a deeper red. His hazel eyes held her in place as a smile played across his lips.

Merlin, but did she have the urge to touch him!

"Bill!" Molly exclaimed, pulling her eldest son into a hug, forcing him to break eye contact with Hermione.

"Told you," Ginny sang in a self-satisfied tone as she pulled the meatloaf pans from the oven and placed them on the table.

As she sent a glare Ginny's way, Hermione tried to help by setting the potatoes on the table as well, but she kept looking at Bill.

"So what did you find in Armenia?" Kingsley asked him.

Bill handed over a folder of documents and evidence to the Minister, and smiled. "If you want more information, you'll have to wait until Monday. I'm off for the weekend." Kingsley's deep laughter filled the room as he accepted Bill's response and took a seat for dinner.

Hermione chuckled as Bill winked at her, and the entire Weasley clan started to pour into the kitchen for dinner. The twins were already eating before they sat down, and Ron ran into the room as though there was a shortage of food in England.

Scoffing, Hermione slipped into one of the free seats, and Harry took the chair to her left. "Haven't seen you for meatloaf night in awhile, Hermione," Harry remarked, squeezing her hand briefly before heaping dinner onto his plate.

"Obviously you can't resist the wonderful company," Bill whispered next to her right ear as he slipped into the seat beside her.

"Obviously," she replied with as much nonchalance as she could muster. It was all a ruse; her tummy felt as though it was filled with the Cornish pixies they had captured just days before.

She nearly yelped and her heart pounded in her chest as she felt Bill's large hand come in contact with her thigh. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, afraid that everyone else was aware of their contact, but nobody was looking at them.

"Well I certainly didn't rush back here for the food, Hermione." Bill's husky voice was making her head spin.

She took a deep breath. "Oh yeah? Then why are you here?" she asked quietly.

Bill smiled, knowing it would annoy her to receive another question in place of an answer. "Meet me in the orchard after dessert?" he asked, removing his hand from her thigh.

Her barely perceptible nod ended their conversation, and Hermione hoped the meal ended quickly.

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><p><em>Please don't hate me for taking so much time to post this... I was busy planning a wedding and getting married! But now I'm back!<em>

_I do hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review so I know you haven't given up on me! _


	16. Chapter 16

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>Hermione couldn't understand why Molly insisted on drawing out dessert for over an hour! She had baked a variety of pies that everyone enjoyed over coffee and tea.<p>

Everyone, it seemed, except Hermione. She pushed a bit of pecan pie around on her plate, unable to eat any more. She had wanted to be alone with Bill since they were at King's Cross Station, but there was always someone or something preventing it. Currently is happened to be Molly's pies and a room full of eternally hungry Weasleys.

She slowed the motion of her fork and chewed on her lip. Why did she let herself get so involved? She should have never snogged him. It would have been much better if she could have carried out this work assignment while maintaining a relationship based on mutual annoyance with Bill. Now here she was, waiting to sneak outside after dinner. And for what? This was never going to work, and she needed to tell Bill as soon as they were in the orchard.

Bill cleared his throat rather loudly and stood, stretching. "Mum, your meal never disappoints, but I need to be heading out," he said without so much as a glance in Hermione's direction. He kissed his mother on the cheek, shook his father's hand and walked out the kitchen door with a wave.

Hermione's heart started to pound wildly, feeling like everyone was looking at her, expecting her next move.

"Hermione!"

"What?" she asked loudly, jumping slightly when Molly said her name. Ginny snorted, obviously aware of what Hermione and Bill were planning.

"Dear, did you not enjoy your dessert?" Molly asked, worry written on the older woman's face at the uneaten slice of pecan pie on the table.

"It was great!" Hermione tried to sound convincing as everyone around the table was looking at her. "I think I just had so much for dinner that dessert was a real stretch." She pretended to stifle a yawn. "Wow, it's getting late! Thanks for dinner, Molly!" Hermione said, hugging Mrs. Weasley and heading toward the door.

Kingsley chuckled. Ginny muttered, "Not fooling anyone." Fred and George shared kissy faces.

"More pie?" Arthur asked everyone, clearly oblivious.

Hermione alternated between rushing toward the orchard and forcing herself to walk with decorum. She smoothed her purple blouse along her sides and tried to make sure her curls were intact.

She entered the line of trees as the sun dipped lower on the horizon, and the shadows cast by the trees made it difficult to locate Bill.

"I was starting to think I'd been stood up," he said from close by, and Hermione spun around to face him. He was leaning up against an apple tree wearing a rather smug smile.

"I said I would meet you," Hermione quipped, trying her best to avoid being completely distracted by him.

He took a step toward her. "I'm happy you decided to come tonight," he said, his voice turning to a whisper as he tucked a curl behind her ear.

She could feel her resolve melting away. This was her last chance to say what was on her mind before it was too late. "Bill, I think we need to talk about work."

Bill smirked and shook his head. "Not another word about work until Monday," he said before silencing her for good with his lips.

Hermione instantly forgot why she was trying to postpone Bill's kisses. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself onto her toes. He kissed her hard at first, but within moments he was gentler. He grasped her hips and held her against his body while he nibbled on her lips.

"I've been waiting to be alone with you, waiting for another chance to kiss you," he murmured against her lips. "Ever since we were in the train station, and especially since you got all feisty that day in the field."

Hermione's heart skipped a few beats, knowing how it felt to want his lips against hers as well. She grinned at him. "I'm not feisty!" she insisted halfheartedly as Bill pushed her gently until her backside came in contact with a tree trunk.

"Don't worry, I like it," he said with a wicked grin of his own as he looked at her lips. Hermione pulled on his collar until his lips returned to her own. She ran her fingers through his long hair, causing some strands to come loose from their tie as Bill pressed her further against the tree. His lips were perfect, and she was so enthralled by the way his large body had her pinned against the tree that she moaned softly.

When his fingers slid under the hem of her shirt, coming into contact with her skin, Hermione gasped, and Bill slipped his tongue into her hot mouth. He loved the way she responded to him as his tongue swept along hers.

She moved against him, seeking more pressure, more friction. Bill groaned as she pressed her chest against his, and her fingers sunk lower on his back.

"Bill," she whispered as his lips found her neck, and her eyes fluttered closed. She was barely breathing while Bill's lips and tongue drew a wicked pattern along her skin. She felt a tingle of desire fill her completely, and she brought her lips to meet his.

This kiss was long, involved, and surprisingly intimate for the short length of this new relationship. Hermione's hands found their way to Bill's rough unshaven, chin and continued to trace the scars that were scattered along his nearly flawless features.

Bill would have had a difficult time affording any other female permission to tough his face so intimately, but Hermione somehow made him feel like he was better than he actually was. He held her to him, not ready to let go despite the growing darkness.

He drew himself away from her kisses. "Hermione," he said quietly, not really sure how to express himself. She looked like a curly haired angel. Well almost; her swollen lips and lust filled eyes didn't help that cause.

Just as she smiled at him, the back porch light came on and flooded the yard in light. Tucked away in the trees, they realized their evening would need to come to an end.

Hermione slipped away from him, a look of apprehension creeping onto her face. "I need to go," she said, barely making eye contact with him.

"Wait," he commanded with some alarm in his voice. "Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked quickly, drawing her lovely eyes back to his face.

"I have plans. I'll see you on Monday, yeah?" she asked.

Bill nodded dumbly as he let go and watched her Disapparate away.

* * *

><p><em>Yes to more snogging! We will see what Hermione's plans are soon.<br>_

_Thank you to DZAuthor AKA DZMom for helping with story input! And thank you to Clover Bay for beta reading :)  
><em>

_I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review!_


	17. Chapter 17

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>Bill was having a late lie in when he heard a tapping against his window. In no mood for annoyances, he threw his pillow across the bedroom, hitting the window and leaving it rattling. He opened his eyes in time to see an owl flying away from his window ledge.<p>

"It can wait," he muttered, rolling over and pulling his quilt over his head. He couldn't distinguish between the conflicting emotions of anger and disappointment. He wasn't angry with Hermione, not exactly. He was getting very frustrated though. They weren't even in a relationship, and she was already making his life difficult.

"Mixed signals," he snarled as he finally got out of his bed. He opened his window to find the owl had left his newspaper and an orange Gringotts envelope outside. Feeling immediately fully awake, he saw an interview Hermione had given on Friday had been posted on the front page of the_ Daily Prophet_. He skimmed the contents of her verbiage regarding the attacks on Muggles and frowned. He just hoped that the information he gathered in Armenia was enough to push the investigation forward.

Dropping the newspaper in favour of the envelope, he tore it open and pulled out a letter bearing an official seal.

_Mr. William Weasley,_

_On behalf of the Gringotts board of officials, I regretfully inform you that your position as a curse breaker has been eliminated. Unfortunately, the bank is in the process of removing the Department of Curse Elimination and Retribution and all of its current employees. As these changes will be effective immediately, your final paycheck has been attached. Please contact me directly as I would be more than pleased to recommend you for future employment outside of Gringotts. _

_Sincerely, Ned Barbary_

Bill read the letter five times, his expression becoming grim. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he growled, crumbling up the letter and getting dressed as quickly as possible. There was somebody he needed to talk to.

* * *

><p>Hermione moped around her apartment all day on Saturday, not even bothering to change out of her pyjamas. After reading a book and taking a nap, she ate a carton of ice cream and allowed Crookshanks to lick the lid.<p>

"What am I supposed to do with him?" she asked her pet. "I ran away like a complete nutter."

Crookshanks just meowed and turned his smashed-looking face up to look at her. Hermione thought back to all of the decisions she had been forced to make recently, and she wasn't at all certain that she was doing a good job of it all. Her personal and professional lives were all mixed together.

"Work is a disaster, Crooks," she said and she scratched him behind the ears. "And he's just making everything even worse." She knew what she needed to do with Bill; she just didn't want to.

Finally making up her mind to shower and eat a proper meal before the day was over, she stood and slid her feet into her slippers. She trudged to the kitchen, deciding that Sunday spent in her office would make her feel better.

* * *

><p>Kingsley was just sitting down to a nice sandwich and a cold butterbeer when he heard someone pounding on the door of his cottage. He grabbed his wand, a precaution he was never able to shake since the end of the war, and opened the door just a slit to find Bill Weasley looking rather grim.<p>

"I was expecting you," Kingsley remarked with a sigh, opening the door for the younger man to enter. "I was just hoping to make it through lunch first," he added under his breath as Bill marched into the small sitting room.

"You knew this was going to happen?" Bill asked, waving the orange envelope from his former boss in the air.

"It was something we expected, but I thought it was still further away on the horizon," Kingsley replied in his usually diplomatic tone.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Bill asked, clearly seething. "Curse breaking was my livelihood! My passion! It's basically the only thing I care about now!" But he knew that wasn't true. Hermione was already taking up residence in the empty place Fleur left in his heart.

Kingsley took a seat in a plush chair and motioned for Bill to sit as well. "I was hoping to yet retain your department, even if it meant eventually absorbing the curse breakers into the Ministry. However, there is no funding now, and such services are sought on a case-by-case basis; not quite the makings of full time, steady employment. Times are changing Bill, and you must as well."

"I'm not cut out for a desk job, you know that," Bill remarked, imagining his life as a Ministry employee. He ran his rough hands along his forehead and over his eyes.

"I see few other options for you at the moment," Kingsley said gently. "I know there are some permanent openings with the Unspeakables, and there may be some changes soon in Magical Cooperation-"

"Can't I just stay where I am for now? With Hermione?" Bill cut in before thinking about the unintended meaning of his words.

Kingsley raised an eyebrow, giving him a stern look. "If that's what you want, I'm sure the Board of Trustees will accept it temporarily. But, if you are to start working as a Ministry employee, you will need to abide by all of the rules," he told Bill as he stood and crossed the room to his bookcase. He tossed a booklet to Bill and took his seat once again. "Read it. Live it. Love it."

Bill looked down at the Ministry of Magic Employee Handbook that rested on his lap. He had a bad feeling about all of this. The last thing he really wanted was this type of employment. He could feel his freedom and dreams slipping through his fingers like the sands in Egypt.

Bill flipped through the booklet to find that a marker had been placed between pages 114 and 115, and his eyes caught the topic heading 'Romantic Relations in the Workplace'. His eyes flicked up to meet Kingsley's, and the older man nodded briefly before clearing his throat.

"Well, unless there is anything else I can help you with..." he said, leaving his desire to finish his lunch blatantly hanging in the air between them.

"As a matter of fact there is," Bill replied, dashing Kingsley's plans in half. "The more I think about what I found in Armenia, the more uneasy I feel," Bill told the Minister, and a new topic of conversation was born.

* * *

><p><em>Bill and Hermione are both feeling out of control. I'll try to update again soon so they can feel a bit more grounded.<em>

_Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you've enjoyed this chapter!_

_Thank you to Clover Bay for beta reading!_


	18. Chapter 18

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>Bill made his way to the Ministry of Magic on Monday morning, worrying too much about the future of his career to focus his thoughts on Hermione. He had already spent much time pondering his feelings for her after he departed from the Burrow on Friday. But, after reading the Ministry handbook, he knew could either work in Hermione's department, or he could date her. Not both.<p>

As he walked through the atrium, the placards displaying the location of each department office caught his eye. "Office of Foreign Liaison… no, too old for the constant travel," he muttered, remembering his brief but unsavory trip to Armenia on Friday. "International Magical Cooperation. Now there's a thought." He knew, however, that he would eat dragon dung before working together with Zacharias Smith.

"Morning," Dennis muttered to Bill as he walked through Hermione's outer office. He handed Bill a bagel without looking up from his work.

"Thanks, Dennis," Bill replied, realizing he enjoyed working in this department quite a bit. However, when Hermione sitting at her desk came into view, he knew he'd choose another department to be able to be with her.

"Bill," Hermione breathed as he took a seat across from her. "Listen, I just wanted to-"

But Hermione stopped when Bill set an orange memo down on her blotter. She quickly skimmed the letter, gasping when she saw that Bill's entire department had been removed from Gringotts. "Can they do this?"

"I guess so, because they certainly did. You may as well let me call you 'boss' now; I'm going to be stuck here awhile longer," he said with a frown. "And, I don't know how I feel about that."

"Someone left a copy of page 114 from the Employee handbook in my mailbox. I'm pretty sure that was Kingsley," she added, blushing.

"So we'll just be friends for now?" Bill asked halfheartedly. He wasn't able to convince himself that he could stay away from her for the rest of the day, let alone the foreseeable future.

Hermione nodded, suddenly overcome by images from her shower dream. She quickly cleared her throat. "That's a good idea. Now, fill me in on what you found at Makar Gordian's house."

Bill leaned back in the chair and stretched his long legs in front of him. "Not very much," he said grimly. "Kingsley and I pored over my notes over the weekend. I did break a number of curses, which are all recorded in my notes. I found some handwritten letters, but someone needs to proofread my translation. Armenian isn't one of my strongest languages."

Hermione laughed. "Not one of your strongest? I can barely babble a few words in Portuguese, and you've got a list of your strongest languages?"

Bill winked at her. "I most certainly do. Russian, French and Arabic top my list."

"Ridiculous," Hermione muttered, thoroughly impressed. "Did you find anything else?"

"Just a random piece of parchment that I can't make any sense of, and a pocket watch with a carving similar in appearance to a Dark Mark."

"Interesting," Hermione muttered. "I'd like to see everything at some point, but for now Kingsley keeps giving me more Arithmantic calculations to work through."

"Hey, Hermione," Dennis said, poking is head into her office. "You made the front page." He held up the morning edition of _The Daily Prophet_ and pointed to a small photo of Hermione in the corner next to the heading 'The Ministry Fights Back in Aid of Muggles'.

Hermione stood to get a better look at the newspaper, and Bill was gifted a better look at her creamy legs beneath her fitted skirt. He physically forced himself to turn and look out the window instead of at her.

"Oh, and the Minister wants to see both of you in his office," Dennis added before dashing back out of the room.

"Honestly, they take these photos at the worst angles. Look at my hair!" Hermione said with a groan, dropping the paper onto Bill's lap. He looked at the photo, and she looked just as charming as she did in the photograph from his wedding.

"Let's get a move on. Don't want to keep Kingsley waiting," Hermione said, and Bill followed her out.

An hour later, Kingsley was rubbing his hands over his eyes, a habit that arose when he was tired or stressed, or a combination of the two. He looked across his desk at Hermione and Bill, who both looked as perplexed as he felt.

"I feel as though we are so close, but we aren't able to connect all the dots," Kingsley said as he skimmed through Bill's notes from Armenia for the tenth time.

"Maybe we will get a good lead after Gordian and Macnair are questioned under Veritaserum tomorrow," Bill added hopefully.

"Hmmm," Hermione hummed as she inspected the pocket watch. "What else did you bring back on Friday?" she asked Bill.

Before Bill could respond, there was a loud wrap on the door before it swung open. In strolled Zacharias Smith.

"Minister, I am just stopping by to inform you that I am on the cusp of getting the Greek Minister to agree to use a universal cauldron thickness for all academic purposes. You'll recall my proposal was approved unanimously in last month's meeting," Smith said, flicking a piece of imaginary lint from his blazer. "I believe I left you a memo about it." He turned and winked at Hermione, making her hand tighten seemingly of its own accord around the pocket watch she was holding.

The range of expressions on Kingsley's face was a sight to behold as annoyance quickly turned to anger. "Actually you left me about five memos, Mr. Smith. I don't have time to deal with universal cauldron thickness right now. As you can see, I'm in the middle of an important meeting, and I must ask you to leave."

Zacharias was unfazed. "Not to worry, _my _schedule is all booked up too. I'll stop by later when we both have more time for discussion." He slipped from the room without another word.

Bill felt the urge to follow him into the hallway and give him another taste of the bat-bogey hex.

"I swear, he just lets himself in whenever Edna isn't at her desk," Kingsley muttered to himself. "Not a shred of respect. Now where were we?"

"Before we were interrupted, Bill was going to show me the other items, he brought back from Gordian's home," Hermione said calmly, vanquishing all thoughts of Zacharias.

"Right," Kingsley said as order was restored.

Bill brought out a stack of parchment. "Here are the letters that were written to him. It seems like normal correspondences, nothing too interesting. And I did find this," he said, handing Hermione a large, folded piece of parchment. "There's nothing written on it, no signs of spells, nothing."

Hermione turned the parchment over and over in her hands, her mind whirring at the speed of a Snitch. "This looks very familiar to me. This looks like something I've seen before."

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><p><em>Please don't hate me for taking a horribly long time to update this story! I hate that it has been on hiatus for such a long time, but my goal is to finish writing it this month. Thank you so much to everyone who has remained interested in this story. It has meant a lot to me, and I never abandoned it. I hope you'll hang in there and finish it with me! Thanks a million! <em>


	19. Chapter 19

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>"This looks like the Marauder's Map," Hermione said, running her hands over the worn parchment. She gently unfolded it just like the muggle road maps her father kept in his car.<p>

Bill watched as Hermione carefully set the fully opened parchment down on Kingsley's desk.

"What is a Marauder's Map?" Kingsley asked, voicing Bill's question as well.

"It just looks like a bad bit of parchment to me," Bill said skeptically.

Hermione tapped the edge of the parchment over and over, muttering absurd phrases in quick succession. Her mind was turning over everything she knew about Harry's map, trying to unlock the secret.

"Hermione?" Bill asked, placing his hand gently on hers. "What are you doing?"

Hermione felt her skin warm up where Bill's hand rested, and she had to bite her lip to keep from taking his rough hand in her own.

"I think it's a map," she said, quickly pulling her hand away from his.

Kingsley shook his head, clearly confused.

"But there is nothing plotted on it," Bill said, starting to get agitated by Hermione's vague responses.

"Well there wouldn't be if it is anything like the Marauder's Map. We would need to figure out the appropriate phrase to unlock the parchment so we could view the map," Hermione explained. "Harry had a map of Hogwarts that worked this way."

"Or maybe it's not a map at all," Bill argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But it looks just like the Marauder's Map," Hermione replied, setting the large parchment on Kingsley's desk with a little too much force.

"It's probably just some old parchment that you are turning into a wild goose chase," Bill snarled.

"I guarantee it is not!" she nearly shouted at Bill. He watched Hermione's anger visibly rise as she clenched and unclenched her fists; the slightly rosy color of her cheeks had burned to a bright scarlet. Bill could only think about grabbing her in his arms and ravishing her right on top of Kingsley's desk.

"Enough!" Kingsley boomed, breaking Bill out of his inappropriate thoughts.

Hermione cleared her throat, forcing her anger to recede. "Sorry," she muttered.

"We need to move on to another topic," Kingsley said, eyeing both Bill and Hermione, ready to smother another outburst. "Now, I have details from the Auror office. Tomorrow morning, they will take Gordian and Macnair into questioning rooms with magical law enforcement agents. Then we will have access to the transcripts immediately after they are finished with the interrogations."

"We can't join them in questioning?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, after all we were the ones who captured Macnair!" Bill complained, thankful that for once he and Hermione were working together as once force.

"No, absolutely not. We can't jeopardize this investigation by involving anyone who is not an authorized law agent in the questioning," Kingsley said sternly. "We can read the transcripts, but that's all we can do."

"Fine," Hermione and Bill muttered in unison.

Once they were dismissed from Kingsley's office, they returned to Hermione's desk with Dennis right on their heels.

"What's going on?" Dennis asked, looking from Hermione's stressed face to Bill's as he set down a tray of biscuits for them to share.

"Not very much," Hermione grumbled as she bit into one of the snacks, eternally thankful for her assistant's uncanny ability to tell when she needed something to eat. "Kingsley said we can't sit in on the Veritaserum interrogation. Plus, we aren't really getting anywhere with the information we do have."

Bill virtually inhaled a few cookies, trying not to glare at Hermione. "Look, if you really think it's a map, maybe you can better explain your reasoning to me."

Hermione glanced at her desk clock. It was already past the time she usually ate lunch. "Dennis, why don't you head home early today? There won't be too much to work on until tomorrow when we have more information. Plus, you're already caught up on all of the accumulated paperwork."

"Yeah? Okay, thanks, Hermione," Dennis replied with a smile before disappearing back to his desk to pack up.

"Now, you and I have a date with some fish and chips at the Leaky Cauldron," she told Bill with a smile. She could use the excuse to get out of the office and tell him about the Marauder's Map, but mostly she just wanted to be alone with Bill. Their arguments always provoked her interests.

"Oh do we?" Bill asked as he stood with a smile. "Good. I'm starving."

Hermione laughed and they headed down Diagon Alley and into the pub. Bill grabbed the same table they occupied last time they had been at the Leaky Cauldron and pulled out one of the chairs for Hermione.

"Do you suppose we can get a few pints without getting into trouble?" Bill asked, still standing with his hands on his hips.

"Who's going to know the difference?" Hermione asked with a shrug and watched him as he strode to the bar to order a round. She watched his profile as he laughed with Tom, the barkeep. It would be extremely difficult to keep naughty thoughts of Bill from her mind. And why did she have to keep recalling the shower dream she'd had?

He walked back to her and winked. "I won't tell if you won't," said Bill, setting two pint glasses on their table. "Now will you please explain this map business to me?"

Hermione took care in explaining every detail of the Marauder's Map as they lingered over their baskets of fish and chips, thankful to be out of the Ministry building for a little while.

"You mean to tell me that Fred and George used to have their hands on that map? And they gave it away?" Bill asked, quite shocked once he understood the whole thing.

"It's not like they threw it in the rubbish bin! They gave it to Harry," she said laughing. "Came in bloody handy too, come to think of it."

"Well if we can unlock the map, what do you think it will show us?"

Hermione sighed, dipping some of her chips in ketchup. "Nothing good, I know that much. Given where it came from."

Bill leaned back in his seat and stretched his legs out at their small table. Hermione gasped when his leg brushed against hers, sending a tingle along her skin. She looked at Bill; he refused to look away, and he wouldn't move his leg. Hermione smirked and quickly finished her drink, unsure what he was playing at.

"We should head back," she said softly, finally looking away from his eyes.

"You're the boss," he said with a grin, finally pulling his long leg away from her.

They walked quietly back to the Ministry building and crept back to her office unnoticed. "What's this?" Hermione asked, picking up a magenta coloured interoffice memo from her desk. Magenta notices were never what you wanted to find on your desk and they denoted an urgent emergency.

She quickly unfolded it and started to read. Bill watched her face change from concern to horror as he munched on one of the forgotten biscuits. "What's the matter?" he asked

"A ministry employee has gone missing!"

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><p><em>See how quickly I updated? I deserve a review! Only a few more chapters left at this point!<em>


	20. Chapter 20

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>"A ministry employee has gone missing!"<p>

Hermione passed the disturbing notice to Bill, and she started to pace behind her desk.

Bill gently took the magenta parchment from Hermione's shaking hand and quickly absorbed the information.

_Memo to Ministry of Magic Employees- All Departments_

_The Ministry has received intelligence that Penelope Clearwater, employed in the Animagus Registration Office, has been missing for the past 24 hours. A team of Aurors and Magical Law Enforcement Officers have been sent to search her home for evidence. If any Ministry employee has any knowledge of the whereabouts of Ms. Clearwater, please report immediately to your supervisor(s). _

_Sincerely,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk_

"What do you think this is all about?" Bill asked, and Hermione stopped pacing to look at him.

"I'm not sure, but I have a bad feeling. I used to sit with Penelope at lunch occasionally when she used to work in Kingsley's office. She doesn't seem the sort of girl who would just run away for attention," Hermione said.

"No, not at all. She used to date Percy. She always seemed very level-headed."

"Hmmm," Hermione hummed, rubbing her head. "I think I need to get out of here for the day."

"I'll walk out with you," Bill replied.

Once they had reached the lobby of the Ministry, Hermione realized she'd slipped her hand into Bill's while they had been walking. She didn't let go of him until he spoke. "Want me to walk you home?"

"No, I'll be fine," she said barely above a whisper and walked away without another word.

Bill watched her until she disappeared into the throngs of witches and wizards in Diagon Alley.

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><p>Tuesday dawned, overcast and threatening rain. Hermione hadn't slept well. Her delicious dream of Bill in the shower had been replaced by one where she was trapped inside a dirty coat closet; as loudly as she pounded on the door, nobody would let her out.<p>

At least today the Ministry would use Veritaserum on the two prisoners. If not for this, Hermione would have probably just stayed in bed. For although she and Bill weren't allowed in the interrogation room, they would have access to everything the transcriptionist recorded.

She didn't even make it to her desk to sing along with the Wireless before the stress began. When she rounded Dennis' empty desk, she crashed into Bill.

"You're not going to like what's going on here," he growled deeply, reminding Hermione that his blood was laced with lycanthropy.

"What is it?" she asked, barely setting her bag down before he steered her back into the hallway.

"Most of the Law Enforcement officials have been sent out to look for Penelope Clearwater, so there's only one left to question Macnair and Gordian," he snarled as they walked. "They lowered the priority of questioning them, plus it will take four times as long with just one officer working."

"No news on Penelope?" Hermione asked. She took Bill's grunt as a negative response.

"Where are we going exactly?" she finally asked, all too aware of the warmth of his hand pressed to her lower back.

"To try to expedite this ordeal."

Hermione argued with the receptionist in the Auror's Office, and after two hours of waiting, they finally started the Veritaserum interrogation. As soon as copies of the confidential transcripts were in Bill's hands, they rushed back to Hermione's office to read them.

"No Dennis today?" Bill asked, noticing the still empty desk in the front office.

"I don't remember him requesting off. Perhaps he'll be in after lunch. Let's read these over before we take them to Kingsley," she said, anticipating any information they may be able to gather.

They sat side by side behind her desk. Within minutes, Bill was completely absorbed in the Gordian transcript, and Hermione couldn't believe what she was reading in the Macnair transcript.

"Wow, they really will tell you anything once they've had a nip of Veritaserum. Hermione, you've got to read this part. Gordian told the officer he was planning on cursing that old pocket watch and giving it to a Muggle or a Muggle-born witch or wizard. I'm really glad I did a thorough sweep of his home before touching anything…" Bill trailed off as he read on.

"Bill, Macnair said that Flora and Hestia Carrow were the ones who smashed up that farmer's crops and put the Pixies in the Muggle school in Westminster. They were in my year at Hogwarts! Slytherin House, of course. And they are related to the Carrows who were at the Battle of Howarts! I wonder if the Ministry knows where Flora and Hestia live," murmured Hermione as she continued to read.

Bill read quietly for a few minutes, too aware of Hermione just inches away from him. She was muttering to herself as she read, occasionally nodding or biting her lip. He wanted to hold her and tell her that everything would be all right. He wanted to kiss her until they both forgot about the shocking things they had learned. As he watched her, she trembled slightly.

"What's the matter?" Bill asked gently, pushing a stray curl behind her ear.

She tore her dark eyes away from the transcript and looked at Bill. "Willard Macnair admitted he was too afraid to take the dark mark when he brother did, but now he wants to punish the 'Mudbloods' who tried to kill his brother in the war. _I_ was the one who jinxed Walden Macnair at the Battle of Hogwarts, and I really did try to kill him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I just knocked him out until the Aurors took him to Azkaban. Now they want to punish me," she finished quietly.

"We won't let that happen," he swore.

"But you know who else is a Muggle-born 'Mudblood'? Penelope Clearwater," she stated. "Apparently there are a number of witches and wizards still practicing the Dark Arts. I don't think it's a coincidence that she's gone missing now."

Bill leaned toward Hermione and read something that caught his eye on the transcript in her hands. "Here, see that?" he asked as he pointed to a line on the parchment. "Gordian also said 'Invenire et capere'. I saw it a few pages back," he said skimming back through the transcript he had been reading.

"But that's Latin. Why are they using Latin?" Hermione puzzled. "I feel so overwhelmed! And where's Dennis? I could really use a muffin or something!"

Kingsley bounded into her office, and Hermione was slightly upset that he hadn't brought them some biscuits or sweets. "I've just come from the Auror's Office, and they let me know you two already have the transcripts from the interrogations. Well?" he asked, sitting opposite Bill and Hermione. "Find anything of interest?"

"Where do we even begin?" Bill asked, setting the stack of parchments in front of the Minister.

"I think I can narrow it down to one solid sentence," Hermione said. "Muggles and Muggle-borns aren't safe until we find the Carrow sisters and anyone else behind this awfulness."

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><p><em>Well, well, well... the plot thickens! Please review! I promise I'm trying my best to finish up this story soon for all of you :)<em>


	21. Chapter 21

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

_Full speed ahead for SMUT!_

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><p>Once Kingsley had been caught up, the three of them started to discuss what was next. They decided to finish looking over the transcripts together.<p>

"I think we should get an early start tomorrow and try to work out the location of the Carrows," said Bill, folding up the transcripts. "We might need some help from the Office of Magical Records to search through some addresses."

Hermione tried not to giggle when Kingsley's stomach growled. "Where is Dennis? He usually has little biscuits on his desk," muttered Kingsley looking to see if Dennis was sitting in the outer office.

"He's not here," Hermione said. "I gave him some hours off, and he seems to have taken further liberties."

"Ah, well, it's almost time for dinner anyway. Great work. I'll see you both tomorrow." Kingsley slipped from the room, leaving Bill and Hermione alone once more.

"There's just too much to consider here," Hermione muttered. "I'm really worried that more Muggle-borns could become involved here, Bill. Actually, the Creeveys are Muggles. We need to find Dennis tomorrow and make sure he's not in any trouble."

"We will find him tomorrow, but what you also need to start being concerned with your _own_ safety, Hermione," Bill said seriously. "You're a Muggle-born too."

Hermione's eyes widened a little before returning to their normal shape. "I can take care of myself. It's not me that we need to worry about! This task is so important to me, and it always has been. We need to put an end to this."

"I'm not suggesting that you're not capable of defending yourself. I'm just stating the obvious!" Bill replied, crossing his arms.

Hermione's cheeks were stained pink, and she couldn't look at Bill. "Whatever, I'm going to walk home," she said, stuffing some papers into her briefcase.

"I don't think you should be walking home through London alone. You ought to floo home," he replied.

"I can walk home just fine!" she countered, glaring at him. "Besides, I already shut my floo connection off for safety."

"Well I'm glad you've been thinking reasonably about your safety," Bill said smugly. "I'll walk you home to make sure you get there securely."

Hermione stomped her foot. "I'll be fine!"

"Let's go," Bill said, unfazed by her behavior.

Hermione led the way out of the Ministry building at an impressive pace. Bill, being much taller than Hermione, didn't need to struggle to keep up with her. They walked silently for many blocks before Hermione shrugged at him and said, "If you insist on walking me all the way home, you can stay for dinner."

"Why thank you," Bill replied happily, earning an eye-roll and a small smile from Hermione.

"It's just up this block," she stated as they turned one last corner. Bill followed Hermione to a small porch where she unlocked the door to her apartment.

If he had to describe her apartment in one word, he would use the word 'books'. She had tomes crammed on every self in her sitting room and more were stacked next to the sofa and in the corner by the fireplace. Bill turned to look into the kitchen and saw several more books lined up on top of the refrigerator.

"Very impressive. If you didn't want to live here anymore, I'm sure Percy would love to move in. It looks like a library," he said, as he watched Hermione take off her jacket.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Definitely. It's very _you_."

Hermione sighed. "Look Bill, I'm sorry that I always get argumentative with you. I don't know what it is, but you set me off and make me feel like I need to defend everything I say. Which isn't necessarily a _bad_ thing, it's just the way you make me feel," she added with a blush.

"It's definitely not a bad thing. I feel it too and it's actually pretty great," he said, wishing he could make himself shut up. "Sometimes you get under my skin so much, and even though I know you're right, I need to get my opinion across if it's the last thing I do. It's a challenge, just being around you. And I could watch you sing along to your Wireless every day for the rest of time and never tire of it. I was serious when I said that you are smart and beautiful and should settle for no less than an equally courageous Gryffindor."

Bill stood stark still, surprised by what he had just said, but also pleased by the smile on Hermione's face.

"Know where I might find one of those?" she whispered. Before he could stop himself, Bill grabbed her and kissed her hard, trying to prove his point without words.

Hermione responded immediately by wrapping her arms around his neck, trying to keep her balance. Bill's lips eased their aggression, and he tenderly kissed her while his hands came to rest on her hips before moving upward.

Bill gently tipped Hermione's chin back with his rough fingers, gaining further access to her hot mouth. Hermione sighed, and Bill used the opportunity to taste her tongue with his own. Pressing onto her toes, Hermione pulled his body against hers, but she still needed more contact.

As one of her hands found its way to the top buttons of his shirt, her other fingers wound through his long hair, roughly pulling some ginger strands loose from their tie. She paused to take a deep breath and inhaled the delicious scent of his skin as she clung to his body.

Bill eased back further and shook his head. "Hermione, this is wrong. We decided… while working together….that we shouldn't…"

"I don't care," Hermione replied, pulling his lips back to hers forcefully.

Bill complied with a grin, allowing his hands to roam over her body freely. "Okay, you're the boss," he whispered when Hermione's lips moved to one of the long scars on his neck where she teased his flesh with the tip of her tongue.

"Hmm, no arguments from you? I am shocked," she managed to say between kisses. The scent of his shave lotion, applied hours previously, was distracting. She released his neck and worked the rest of his shirt buttons as quickly as she could before pushing Bill down onto the sofa.

He peeled off his shirt and Hermione glared at his undershirt. "You're wearing too many clothes," she muttered as she climbed onto his lap.

"So are you," he said as her lips met his once more, but he made no move to remove any of the clothing yet. He wanted to savor every moment.

With Hermione perched on his lap, she had clear access to his torso, which she undressed completely. He small hands were warm and welcome on his chest as she kissed him. He ran his fingers through her soft hair as she explored his body with her hands and lips. While she was distracted, he undid the buttons of her blouse and pulled the fabric away to reveal a delicate white lace bra that did not conceal the pink of her nipples. He gently ran his fingers across her breasts, and she jerked her body.

"Oh!" she gasped against his mouth, before thrusting her tongue more fervently against his. Bill took her shirt off and he could feel Hermione grind her hips against his, adding to his already heightened arousal. A jolt of lust surged through his body, and he grabbed her hips pulling them back against his. He carefully unhooked her bra and tossed it on top of her discarded blouse.

"Bill," she moaned, enticed by the way his manhood felt even through several layers of clothes. "Let's go to bed."

She didn't have to tell him twice; Bill scooped her up, cupping her bum with both hands and holding her in place where she was kissing his neck. "Which room?" he asked as he stumbled down the hallway with her clinging tightly to him.

"On the left," she replied, and they turned toward her bed. Bill deposited her on the mattress and quickly unfastened his jeans. He took a moment to look at her in the dim light that was filtered through the curtains as night approached. He thought back to the photo of her at his wedding, twirling in her blue dress. He had frequently thought about her naked body recently, but nothing could have prepared him for the real thing.

He locked eyes with her as she scooted up toward the top of the bed. He was mesmerized. Her breasts bounced pleasantly as she pulled off her own trousers and knickers and tossed them to the floor.

"Come here," Hermione commanded, and Bill quickly finished removing his jeans and boxers before climbing into bed with her. She sucked in a deep breath when suddenly his large form was over top of her, pinning her to the bed. She barely caught her breath again before his lips moved against hers.

Bill's left hand found its way to her soft hair, but right hand blazed a wicked trail around her left breast before finding her nipple. Hermione's body bucked beneath him, and Bill broke their kiss. He seemed to smile as his lips moved to the side of her neck, and his fingers trailed lower to her tummy before gently rubbing along the apex of her thighs.

An unintelligible word bubbled to Hermione's lips as Bill slid one rough finger along her intimate folds while his thumb rubbed her most sensitive spot. All the while his lips never eased their assault of her lips and neck.

Bill prepared his length for her body, and Hermione braced herself as he pushed himself inside her, filling her completely. She felt overwhelmed, so small and young under this rugged, older man as he teased and pleased her body. Hermione focused her gaze on Bill's face as he withdrew himself and thrust into her once again, and she felt more empowered. The man she wanted desired her as well.

Hermione pulled his lips down against hers, and she looped her left leg around Bill's hip, pulling him deeper still. Bill grunted his approval as she ground her hips up against his over and over. As they fell into a rhythm, Hermione's pleasure mounted. Bill's mouth found its way to her breasts, and she gasped as his teeth and tongue took turns making her shake with pleasure.

"Are you close?" Bill asked, pausing before flicking her furled nipple with his tongue. "I'm close," he admitted, and his hot breath against her sensitive skin sent pleasure to her core.

"Yes," she hissed. Then she felt Bill's fingers on her clit again, and she cried out. Her release erupted to the surface, and she arched her back as Bill pumped into her three more times before collapsing on top of her, he ginger hair tickling her face. Hermione's orgasm rung in her ears as her body started to ease back to normal from a state of heightened pleasure. She took a few deep breaths before licking her slightly swollen lips.

"I think we found something we can do well without arguing," she managed to say in a somewhat shaky voice.

Bill's deep laugh next to her ear made her shiver as his hand came to rest on her tummy. Like clockwork, her stomach let out a loud rumble. "That's what you get for choosing dessert before dinner," Bill said before kissing her earlobe.

Hermione bit her lip and smiled. "What do you say we get cleaned up, make dinner, and then go for another round of 'dessert'?

Bill heartily agreed with her plans.

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><p><em>There's nothing wrong with taking some time out for smut. I decided to be nice and not give you a cliffhanger this time. Now it's your turn to be nice... this story is so close to 300 reviews... let's get it there!<em>


	22. Chapter 22

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

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><p>As dawn broke on Wednesday morning, Hermione rolled over in her bed and stretched. Her limbs felt sore, and she was still very tired. Stifling a yawn, her arm came into contact with Bill, and she smiled in the pre-dawn light.<p>

Bill cracked open one eye when she nudged him. "Morning," he grunted, his voice straining slightly as he woke completely. He smiled as Hermione scooted closer to him.

"Good morning," she replied, grinning.

"What time is it?" he asked, as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Almost seven. We need to stagger our arrival times at the office," she said with a blush, knowing she would likely die of embarrassment if the entirety of the Ministry of Magic found out they had been shagging most of the previous night.

"I'll get a quick shower and head out first, then?" asked Bill. "Who knows, maybe I'll make some coffee and rock out to the Wireless while I wait for you."

Hermione couldn't help but giggle. She watched him walk from her bed to the bathroom door, clearly quite comfortable with his nudity; she certainly didn't mind the view. A few minutes later, Bill emerged back from the bathroom in just his jeans. She watched as he tied his wet hair back.

"Could I borrow a shirt?" he asked, but Hermione thought it would make a much better day in the office if he went without one.

"Sure," she murmured, climbing out of bed and pulling the sheet with her. She found an old Gryffindor Arithmancy Quiz Team shirt and quickly located her wand to enlarge it for him.

"Thanks," Bill said, pulling on the red and gold t-shirt. He leaned toward her and captured her lips in a kiss so surprising, that Hermione dropped the bed sheet in favour of his lips. "See you at work in a bit," he said with a wink, taking a moment to enjoy the view of her with the sheet at her feet.

Once he had gone, Hermione bit her lip and squealed as she dashed into the shower. She was just working up a lather of soap and rubbing her sore spots, when she realized she hadn't thought about work at all since yesterday afternoon. Her mind suddenly rushed back to Dennis, resolving to find him if he wasn't at the office when she got there. As she rinsed her hair, she heard the sound of her front door creaking open.

"Bill?" she called around the shower curtain. There was no response. "Is that you?" she called again, straining to hear over the stream of water.

Quickly, she finished rinsing and turned off the tap. She yanked a towel off the rack and wrapped it around her dripping wet body. Hermione poked her head out of the bathroom door, looking for the source of the noise. A dark figure dashed across the end of the hallway, and Hermione scrambled to reach her wand which was on top of the vanity. She tore down the hallway, shouting a poorly placed jinx which hit the wall next to her book shelves. The dark figure hastily ducked around her furniture and dashed through the front door before Hermione could calm down enough to hit them with a Stinging Curse.

Hermione sprinted after them, but when she reached the street, she found only her neighbours and a group of school children. Realizing she was still in her towel, she turned back inside and returned to her apartment. She leaned heavily against the closed door and fought the urge to cry.

* * *

><p>Bill was in fact waiting at her desk, sipping some coffee and humming along to a particularly bad ballad when Hermione arrived. Bill smiled at her, but upon seeing the startled expression in her eyes and the paleness of her skin, he jumped to his feet.<p>

"What happened?" he asked, guiding her to her chair.

Hermione took a deep breath. "After you left, someone came into my apartment."

"What?! Who?"

"I don't know," she said. "They were hooded. They looked pretty big, so probably a man. I chased them out before I got a good look. They didn't stick around to duel."

"You tried to duel them?" Bill asked, clearly impressed and yet very concerned.

"Tried to. But they kept ducking around the room before leaving. I sealed up the place when I left. There's no chance anyone but me is getting back in there today. But now I'm scared."

Bill looked thoughtful for a moment. "At least you're all right. But we need to find Dennis."

"Yes, immediately. We also need to find the Carrow sisters," she added. "I'm going to dig through Dennis' desk and see what I can find. You need to go to the Registration of Residence office and see what you can find on Flora and Hestia Carrow."

Bill nodded and promptly left the room. Hermione went to Dennis' desk in the office just outside her own. "I don't even know where he lives," she muttered to herself, frantically moving stacks of parchment around looking for anything the might be helpful.

Sighing, she started to dig around in the drawers. She found several notes attached to a calendar that made her pause and smile. '_Pick up cake for Kingsley's surprise birthday party!' 'Don't forget- Hermione birthday, September 19.' 'Order extra biscuits for weekly department meeting- ran out last time!'_

She pushed the notes aside and kept looking. As she dumped a few folders onto his chair, Hermione noticed some of Dennis' old pay stubs went sailing to the floor. Hermione dropped to ground and grabbed one of them, turning it over quickly in her hand.

"57 East Trenneman Street!" Hermione gasped when she found his address was listed under his name, and she tucked the slip into her pocket. She rushed back to her desk, considering going to get Kingsley, but it was doubtful he would have arrived yet. Hermione was about to go in search of Bill, but then she saw the pocket watch and folded parchment from Makar Gordian's home where they had been left in the middle of her desk.

"I wonder…" she said, wishing in that instant that she could quickly contact Harry. He had used that old Marauder's Map so frequently when they were on the hunt for Horcruxes, and it only took simple passphrases to lock and unlock the parchment. He might know something she didn't on this topic.

She tapped her wand against the parchment and suddenly gasped. She started to thumb through the transcripts from the questioning of the prisoners. She finally found the page she was looking for. _Invenire et capere. _There it was in black ink right in the middle of the page.

Hermione tapped a corner of the mysterious parchment and clearly spoke the words. "Invenire et capere!" Suddenly the parchment started to change. Blotches of dark ink started to seep seemingly from the very core of the parchment, forming a web of lines. The lines started to take the shape of the city of London.

"Why didn't I think of this yesterday?" Hermione asked the empty office. She unfolded the large map completely, and located the Ministry of Magic building in central London. And there she was on the map; a small star with the label _Hermione Granger_ was marked as being inside the building, unmoving. Hermione's eyes went wide. She picked up the map and dashed out into the main artery of hallways connecting the various Ministry departments. She ran the length of one of the corridors, watching herself on the map as she went. Sure enough, the star with her name attached to it moved slightly across the map, but stayed in the confines of the building.

"Oh my sweet Merlin!" she gasped and turned to run back to her desk, earning many concerned looks as she went.

She threw the map down on her desk and skimmed over the other names listed in the Ministry of Magic building. "Mary Cattermole, Dirk Creswell , Amy Moreland, Roger Hilbert, and Justin Finch-Fletchley. That's it?" There were only five other names aside from her own that seemed to represent employees currently in their offices. But Hermione knew that at least two hundred witches and wizards worked for the Ministry of Magic.

"Muggle-borns!" she gasped just as Bill walked back into her office.

"Hermione, they have no record of a current address for the Carrow sisters," he said, looking quite dejected.

"Bill! It's the Muggle-borns!" Hermione shouted at him, a slightly manic look in her eyes. "Right here, on the map!"

"What map?" he asked cautiously, slightly afraid of her chaotic behaviour.

"This _was_ a map! I unlocked the bloody thing!" she said, holding up the parchment from Gordian's house. "Look! It shows the location of every Muggle-born in the city of London! I'm on it, right there. See? And look over there, it shows Amy Moreland who works just down the hallway. She's a Muggle-born as well. So is Justin, he was in my year at Hogwarts."

"I can't believe it," Bill said, running his hands over the many lines making up the web of streets. "Hermione, if you're on here, maybe Dennis is too."

"Oh! I found his address in his desk," she said, thrusting her hand into her pocket to retrieve the pay stub. "He lives down the dodgy end of Trenneman Street."

They followed the streets of London on the map further east until they came to the correct neighborhood. A unified gasp came from the pair as they found a star labeled _Dennis Creevey_ right next to one labeled _Penelope Clearwater_.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! I want to say a special thank you to some of the anonymous reviewers of this story. I can't respond individually to those unsigned reviews, but I really do appreciate all of the kind words :) More to come soon.<br>_


	23. Chapter 23

_How to Play Nice by WeasleyForMe_

_Bill finds out that his new work assignment has him paired with Hermione. Can he learn how to play nice with her? Bill/Hermione_

* * *

><p>Hermione couldn't move. She and Bill had both been stricken silent by what they saw on the map. After a deep, shaky intake of breath, she managed to whisper, "We need to go after them."<p>

Bill watched as Hermione quickly pocketed her wand and started to march to the door.

"Hermione! Don't be crazy, we need a plan first," he said, raking his hands though his hair.

"No, we need to act _now_," Hermione insisted.

Bill shook his head adamantly. "It's too dangerous. We can't just rush into this! Considering what happened this morning, Hermione… someone broke into your flat!"

"That's exactly the point! We don't have a lot of time!"

Bill sighed, not wanting to argue with her. He felt, this time, that she did have the right idea. He slowly started to nod in agreement when Kingsley swept into her office.

"What is going on in here, Hermione? Edna told me you were running up and down the hallways earlier like a maniac."

"We know where Dennis and Penelope Clearwater are," Hermione quickly answered. "And if you don't mind, I'm going to go get my assistant back right now."

Kingsley stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. "Explain," he said firmly.

Sighing, Bill thrust the map into his hands as Hermione started to explain what they discovered. Bill noticed that she conveniently left out the bit about her apartment being invaded, but he was wise not to comment.

"You're sure about this? All of the Muggle-borns currently in London are on this map?" Kingsley asked, running a finger along the star labeled _Hermione Granger_.

"It seems that way. See, you and Bill aren't labeled while I am. And over here, see, it says Dennis and Penelope are together," Hermione said, trying to make her point as quickly as possible. She felt like her blood temperature was alternating between boiling up and draining of all warmth.

"And if it's a trap?" Kingsley asked cautiously.

"That's a chance we will just have to take," Bill said, finally siding with Hermione; he even received a small smile from her as he took the map and pocketed it.

"I'll call in the law enforcement group immediately," Kingsley said, and the three of them were already leaving the office.

"We'll get a head start on them," Hermione said, taking Bill by the hand. She didn't wait for a response from her boss before taking off down to the Apparation point.

* * *

><p>Apparating into a Muggle inhabited area during the day was all but forbidden by the Ministry, but Hermione vanished herself and Bill and reappeared near Dennis' flat regardless. The clouds had already given way to rain in this end of town, and they quickly ducked under a shop awning upon arrival.<p>

"The street is up that way," Hermione said as she gestured to the left, ready to rush into the unknown.

Bill pulled her close and held her against himself. She looked up into his face, clearly scared, but Bill could also see bravery in her eyes. He kissed her hard, remembering everything from the previous night. He wanted to take her home, make love, and pretend this whole scenario would sort itself out without them. But he knew what they needed to do.

Hermione returned his kiss, but released him almost as quickly. "Let's go," she said, and they both dashed out into the rainy street.

They rushed past many pedestrians before turning onto East Trenneman Street, which turned out to be a much narrower alleyway. They ran as quietly and cautiously as they could manage; every few houses, they would pause to have a look around. Soon, Hermione was pointing to the rundown little row house that she had memorized as being Dennis' address.

Bill grabbed her by the arm and pulled her behind a dumpster. "Let's check the map before we go in," he whispered. Hermione nodded and they quickly found their location. According to the map, Dennis and Penelope were just inside the building across the street.

"Let's check to see if there is a back way inside. If not, I suppose we'll start blasting our way through," Hermione muttered, pushing her dripping wet hair out of her face.

"You're the boss," Bill replied. Before Hermione could answer, she felt a blast of magic rush past her face and hit Bill in the shoulder. He was flung into the middle of the street, landing in a horribly awkward position. Hermione spun around and drew her wand, but before she could raise it all the way, she realized there was another wand aimed at her, just inches away from her nose.

"You make it too easy, Mudblood," came a man's voice from beneath a hooded cloak. Hermione recognized the voice as Gregory Goyle's, and she was nearly certain that he was the man who broke into her flat just hours before. He pulled his hood back, revealing his enormous, beefy neck and smiled maliciously at her.

"No need to waste any magic on her," said one of the Carrow twins who had emerged from behind him.

Goyle nodded in agreement before punching Hermione directly in the nose. She could feel some of the bones in her face shatter before blacking out on the pavement.

* * *

><p>Pain shot through Hermione's entire head as she opened her eyes. A kaleidoscope of colours greeted her, and she blinked several times unable make her vision clear. She was sitting against the wall in a dimly lit room; by the smell of it, she was in a musty old basement. She tasted blood in her mouth and was certain that her lip was bleeding down the front of her clothes.<p>

"I was so afraid they'd get you too."

Hermione spun her head to her right and could vaguely make out Dennis sitting next to her. She recognized he was still wearing the clothing she last saw him in at work days ago. She considered his words for a minute.

"How long have you been here, Dennis?" she asked him quietly

He sniffed back some tears and said, "I have no idea. A few days, I guess."

"What have they been doing to you?"

"Well, they alternate between using the Imperius curse on each of us and forcing us to hurt the other," he said, unable to stop himself from crying. "We need to be punished for trying to compete in pure-blood society."

"Who else is here? Just the Carrows and Goyle?" she asked quickly, trying to garner as much information as she could. She felt around in her pocket for her wand, but knew it was useless.

"Yeah, I think so. I haven't seen much of Goyle, but he just took Penelope out of the room, threatening to kill her now that they have you."

Hermione's head was spinning with ideas, and her vision was finally clearing. But, when she went to stand, her head started to pound again.

"I don't want you to worry, Dennis," she said as she steadied herself and took a step around the perimeter of the room, using the wall to aid herself. "Kingsley will be here soon with law enforcement backup. And Bill came with me; maybe he will manage to help us." She knew she was grasping at straws, but there was still a chance that Bill would come to.

"He's over there," Dennis whispered, and Hermione turned toward the far corner. Bill had been dumped unceremoniously in the room with them, clearly still unconscious. Hermione could feel hot tears starting to roll down her cheeks as the door opened and the room was filled with light.

The Carrow sisters walked slowly into the room, smiling happily with Goyle's large form behind them.

"Gregory, you stay here with the boys. Mudblood, you're coming with us."

Hermione felt herself being helplessly led away from the room.

* * *

><p><em>Suspense! More will be posted shortly, as long as you're all still intrigued.<em>

_If you have a moment, please pop over to my profile and read my newest fic 'Blue' which I wrote for the Twin Exchange September challenge!_


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